Subsea 146

SUBSEA Ireland’s Only Diving Magazine

B4 Shark Preservation Fiordland – New Zealand The Recompression Chamber

Vol. 9 No. 146 Summer 2013 '(()**"!#$+%!&,

# !!"!#$ %!&""%

%%

All year round resort with warm water temperatures

Regular flights from Ireland

6 dives with tank and weights and 7 nights accom (based on 2 sharing) only 235 euros!

Pleasure shore, boat and night dives all same price

Use our instructors or yours for training Open every day of the year!!

Winners of the Q award

The only dive centre on Lanzarote to receive this.

Contact us for all our special offers or to book at:

Email enquiry@safaridiving.com Web www.safaridiving.com Tel 0034 625 059 713

SUBSEA

CONTENTS

ISSN 0791 - 475X Volume 9 Number 146 Summer 2013 5

EDITORIAL Publisher’s comments

5

BRIEFINGS What’s happening at home and abroad

9

MALTA 2013

By Don Baldwin, Sean Staunton and Dearn McClintock

12 A NATIONAL DIVE MAGAZINE CALLED “SUBSEA” By the Editor 15 EARLY DIVING AND THE SURFACING OF SUBSEA

By Hugh Hennessy 17 LE MONDE DE NEMO

By Juliette Claro 40th anniversary montage featuring covers from past issues of Subsea.

Attention SubSea Contributors • Submit all material to the Editor at editor@diving.ie or to Head Office • Material must arrive well in advance of the deadline.

• Pictures are essential to illustrate news items and articles.

18 IRISH OPEN SPEARFISHING CHAMPIONSHIP

By John Hailes 19 SEAWEED SECRETS

By Bernadette Connolly Martin 21 THE MAGIC OF FIORDLAND

By Jenny & Tony Enderby 29 THE RECOMPRESSION CHAMBER

By Dr P. O’Beirn and Joe Fagan

• Authors must remember that they bear responsibility to ensure that material is not copied from another copyrighted publication.

33 OCEANADDICTS SUBMERGED GATHERING KINSALE 2013

By Anne Ferguson

• Ensure that digital photos submitted are: 120 pixels/cm (300 dpi) and sized at 30cm X 21cm.

35 SHARK PRESERVATION

By Andrew Roughton

SubSea is published by the Irish Underwater Council. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Council.

38 THE JOHN WAYNE LOBSTER AND SOME CRUSTACEAN MEMORIES

By Noel Gleeson

The magazine is not intended as an invitation or prospectus to members of the public or other interested parties to dive on any of the sites that are mentioned in the text and anyone intending to do so should take appropriate advice with regard to the safety and viability of their proposed actions. Boarding a wreck requires the permission of the owner. Diving on a 100 year old wreck requires a permit.

Edited by: Denny Lawlor Proofreading: Mike Orth

Honorary Archivist: Michael Moriarty SubSea, Irish Underwater Council, 78a Patrick St., Dun Laoghaire Co. Dublin.

Tel: (01) 2844601. Fax: (01) 2844602.

Web site: www.diving.ie E-Mail: info@diving.ie

Printed by Doggett Print & Design, Dublin.

Tel: (01) 453 3151. Fax: (01) 453 3156.

41 CLUB SPOTLIGHT – LIMERICK SUB AQUA CLUB

By John Breen 46 OLD, BUT AS GOOD AS NEW

By Derek Lawlor

Advertising: Sarah Campbell Typesetting and Design: Bernard Kaye

39 SEAHORSES

By Dr. John Carlin

41 BOOK REVIEW – BRYOZOANS AND HYDROIDS OF BRITAIN AND IRELAND

By Tim Butter Affiliated to

49 CFT NEWS New Executive, Incident Report and Election of Officers 50 MART AND EXCHANGE

CMAS

Autumn 2013 Issue Deadline All articles for inclusion in the next issue of SubSea should be sent to the editor before July 12th.

All advertising should be sent to CFT Head Office before July 12th.

SubSea Summer 2013

3

www.scubatravel.ie Ireland’s Scuba Diving Holiday Specialists

PADI & DSAT FIVE STAR DIVE CENTRE FREE NEXT DAY DELIVERY THROUGHOUT IRELAND

Philippines 14 Nights Flights from Dublin Big Fish Tour 6 Days Diving 2 Whale Shark interactions Snorkelling From €2210pp Tenerife 7 Nights Direct Flights from Dublin Self Catering Apartments 8 Dives From €575pp

Iceland 4 Nights Direct Flights from Dublin 4 Nights BB Basis 3 Days Diving Silfra, Geothermal Springs & Ocean diving From €1150pp Malta 7 Nights Direct Flights from Dublin 7 Nights Room only Basis 10 Wreck Dives & Free Nitrox From €660pp

&RQWDFW RXU RIoFH RQ

01 835 2212

MAIN DEALER FOR ALL MAIN BRANDS IRELANDS ONLY SCUBAPRO TECHNICAL SHOWROOM DEALER DIVE TRIPS FROM RATHLIN ISLAND TO MALIN HEAD AND SCOTTISH ISLES FULL SERVICE CENTRE SUPERB 11Metre CABIN RIBS with DIVERS LIFT ON OUR NEW 2011 RIB FULL RANGE OF SCUBA/TECHNICAL COURSES DIVE/ACCCOMDATION PACKAGES GROUPS OR INDIVDUALS

Worldwide Scuba Diving Holidays Departing from Ireland Fully licensed and bonded by the commission for aviation.

License number T.A0707

Check out the CFT Shop at diving.ie

4

SubSea Summer 2013

14 Portmore Rd, PORTSTEWART, County Derry.

Tel +44 (0)28 70832584 Mobile +44 7968164748 RoI direct no. 048 70832584 Email- dive@aquaholics.co.uk Web- www.aquaholics.co.uk

BRIEFINGS Dive Rally/Regional Weekend at Slade

EDITORIAL Welcome to your Summer edition of SubSea. With the dive show and AGM fast becoming a distant memory it really is time to get down to the business of diving. Can someone please sort out the weather!

To start with I would like to thank you all for your support at the AGM. I am delighted to be voted back onto the Executive with the responsibility once more to produce SubSea. They say the second year is easier as you are trodding a familiar road.

This edition is exciting as we are marking forty years of SubSea and have a contribution from its very first Editor, Hugh Hennessy. Hugh pioneered our first issue back in May 1973 and for the next nine years ploughed a lonely furrow as he struggled to get contributions from clubs, to get advertising to cover his costs and at times it was even harder to get the advertisers to pay their bills.

For me it really is an honour to be the Editor for this celebratory edition and I hope you enjoy the extracts I have included from previous SubSeas.

In this edition we have an account of a tragic event that took place off the coast of Wexford almost one hundred years ago which highlights the brave and dangerous work our lifeboat men and women undertake to save lives. We also have details of diving in Malta and New Zealand, where they say the sun always shine. And should things go wrong we have the story of the Recompression chamber. We have Limerick SAC in the Spot Light with views from the past.

And of course there is lots more to keep you occupied for a few evenings.

I once again appeal to all our members to support our planned events to mark 50 years of CFT, in particular our Gala Dinner in September. This will be an evening to remember and you should book your ticket and hotel room early while both are still available. Don’t forget to order your club board and be sure your club is included when we decorate the hotel on the night.

Once more may I remind you of our proposed souvenir news paper which will be on sale on the night all in aid of the RNLI. Please do support this project with a donation, a club photo and a story or caption. Remember the best one wins two free tickets to our dinner dance.

I would to thank those who sent in old photos, we are still working on them and will in due course put them to good use.

Your contribution is appreciated, you are playing an important role in building up an archive and the history of our sport.

Be careful, go by the rules and lets all strive to be around for another dive season.

To mark CFT’s 50th birthday the clubs in the Southeast have come together to organize this event on the 5th, 6th and 7th of July.

The activity over the weekend will be organized from the Hook Sub Aqua Club’s club house where there will be ample room for all with camping facilities. There will be fun for all from diving to snorkelling, from a BBQ to face painting and lots more in between.

The programme of diving will be more or less ongoing with two dives planned for the early arrivers; Friday:

Evening dive at 7pm and night dive at 9.30

Saturday: Diving almost on the hour all day and Snorkelling as the demand dictates.

Sunday:

Diving will more or less follow the same pattern as Saturday except a slightly later start is expected due to the over taxing of brains at the table quiz in Templars Inn on the Saturday night.

Should there be an interest in speciality diving such as Seasearch, Rebreather diving or Photography these too can be arranged. Photography workshop is also on the cards so what ever your interest is you will have a great weekend in Slade.

And for the non divers lots are being planned. Once you have walked the headland from Slade to the Lighthouse and back you will be ready for the BBQ on Saturday. There is the tour of the Lighthouse, the scary tour of Loftus Hall, ( you will all have heard of the devil going out through the roof there some years ago) so a twilight tour is a must. Then there is the table quiz in Templars Inn on the Saturday evening where not only can you prove you know more than those around you but you can also win cash.

What event would be complete without a face painting session for the children and perhaps the adults also.

Denny Lawlor Editor Hook Head at its best

BRIEFINGS

Kilkee, A weekend away

Noted Irishmen

By Dearbhla Walsh Hook SAC PRO

Beaufort – Irish Born Meteorologist

Inter-club relations in action Auginish played hosts to Limerick and Hook clubs for a weekend in Kilkee recently. Photo by Ray Carroll.

In April we saw a true example of inter-club relations when Aughinish SAC played host to Limerick and Hook clubs for a weekend of diving in Kilkee. Aughinish made their boat available to both clubs and as often as not complete with Dry-cox’n and tour guide. Limerick club, of course, needed no guide as they are well used to diving Kilkee but it was great for us from the Hook club as for most of us it was our first visit to the area.

The Kilkee club also came up trumps and opened their club house to facilitate us with air or indeed the use of it for what ever was needed.

The information, the cooperation and the advice from the hosts really made the weekend a success for us as the visitors.

We arrived in Kilkee on Friday afternoon and with glorious sunshine and calm seas we wasted no time in getting into the water for our first dive at Dr Rocks. Armed with our local info supplied by the dive clubs and meeting some friendly locals along the way we found the dive site and a safe entry point. The dive was fantastic! The visibility and marine life were breath taking. Creatures seen included; an octopus, pipefish and nudibranches. This was a great start to the weekend.

Saturday morning we had arranged to meet members of the Auginish Club on the slipway. When we arrived, hoping that maybe they could accommodate a few of our divers on their boat, they informed us that the boat was ours for the weekend. We could drive it ourselves or they would provide a dry cox’n for us, how great was that.

We were taken on a guided underwater tour of Middle Rock by Martin Kiely. The dive was amazing. There was beautiful sea life and great visibility. Arriving back on shore, we were greeted by a member of the Kilkee Club who loaded our bottles into his car and brought them to their clubhouse to fill them. After lunch he returned them to us ready for our next dive in the afternoon to Oillaun Na Baithe. This was a wall dive outside Kilkee Harbour and again no one was disappointed.

Back on land Kilkee club were once again on hand and opened their club house to allow us to sort our gear and refill our bottles. Equally important they guided us in the right direction to refill and recharge our bodies.

The weather had deteriorated somewhat on Sunday morning but not enough to stop us from having our last dive at Biraghty. Apart from the cold both in and out of the water it was another excellent dive. After that we packed up and headed off for home, well pleased with our weekend in Kilkee and a promise to try and make it back again soon.

The weekend was full of great diving and a mighty craic. Without the generosity of clubs like Kilkee and Auginish and their willingness to help a visiting club, it could not have happened. We say a big thank you to both clubs and hope to be able to return the hospitality one day soon in the Hook. (“Tales from under the duvet” we shall leave for another day!).

6

SubSea Summer 2013

Almost 240 years ago on 27/5/1774, Francis Beaufort who set up the Wind Scale was born at Flower Hill, Navan, Co Meath. He joined the navy at the age of 13 and his father arranged that a year later he was allowed study astronomy at Dunsink Observatory under Henry Ussher. In 1806 he drew up his Wind scale ranging from calm at 0 to hurricane force 12. By 1829 he was Hydrographer of the Navy. He developed the office and the charts produced under his leadership were then and still are the most accurate available.

He continued in this post until 1855 receiving several honors before his death in 1857 aged 83. His work continues at the Hydrographic office of the Royal Navy at Taunton. Many Irish divers will have used Admiralty charts produced at Taunton or consulted the wrecks register operated from there.

He was a noted surveyor and hydrographer with a distinguished naval career. Francis, who at one time was Captain Beaufort of the Admiralty, was the person who arranged for Charles Darwin to be the ships’ naturalist on board the ‘Beagle’ during that famous and eventful voyage. It is sometimes forgotten today that the ‘Beagle’s’ prime mission on that voyage was essentially that of surveying and charting little known straits and coasts for navigation purposes, but that side of the voyage was over shadowed by the findings and discoveries of Darwin over time.

The Hydrographic office will celebrated 240 years service next year. Technology has developed during its existence. In the 1700s charts were painted on the skin of animals. The introduction of electronic charting took place in 1996. A ship’s position will now be constantly updated by satellite interaction and shown on an electronic display. Paper charts may no longer be necessary.

The Royal navy surveying squadron consists of eight vessels based at Portsmouth and operating all over the world.

BRIEFINGS National Spring Clean

Members and friends of the Wexford SAC doing their bit for their community and raising funds at the same time for the RNLI.. Photo by Ivan Donoghue.

This truly is a great idea and one that encourages local people and clubs to get out and get involved in keeping their area clean and tidy. It is always hard to understand why some people still open their car window and chuck out their rubbish as they drive along the road. Would they do it outside their own gate or on their own lawn? Perhaps they would and let their parents clean up after them.

Is that how we have come to this sorry state where we allow our children to drop their rubbish at will and expect someone else to clean up their mess. You may say it is not always children and that too is correct but they are somebodies children and learned their bad habits somewhere sometime.

We should also look at the producers of some of this rubbish and ask what should they be doing or not doing as the case may be.

Why do we need foamed plastic cups for instance.

Why do we need concrete blocks wrapped up in plastic. And we see the dreaded plastic bag sneaking back into circulation in certain shops and supermarkets.

Do we know how long it all take to decompose? The list below really do set you thinking. Of course some of these items will not last as long as stated in certain circumstances but chucked on the roadside for the rest of us to look at for weeks or months or even years is not acceptable.

Members and friends of the Hook SAC about to change the look of the country side in the Hook. Photo by Ray Carroll.

Paper Towel - 2-4 weeks

Banana Peel - 3-4 weeks

Paper Bag - 1 month

Newspaper - 1.5 months

Apple Core - 2 months

Cardboard - 2 months

Cotton Glove - 3 months

Orange peels - 6 months

Plywood - 1-3 years

Wool Sock - 1-5 years

Milk Cartons - 5 years

Cigarette Butts - 10-12 years

Leather shoes - 25-40 years

Tinned Steel Can - 50 years

Foamed Plastic Cups - 50 years

Rubber-Boot Sole - 50-80 years

Plastic containers - 50-80 years

Aluminum Can - 200-500 years

Plastic Bottles - 450 years

Disposable Diapers - 550 years

Monofilament Fishing Line - 600 years

Plastic Bags - 200-1000 years

So this is where the National Spring Clean comes in and thankfully for every yob who chucks out their rubbish where they like there are many more out there who are civic minded and will clean up after them. And its fantastic that dive clubs are leading by example.

While the Hook club were doing their bit back in April just around the coast Wexford club were also at work and they even managed to collect money for the RNLI at the same time. Well done divers, keep up the good work.

Sheephaven Sub Aqua Club

By Dearn Mc Clintock In mid April three Sheephaven divers had the opportunity to complete their Advanced Nitrox Course when they conducted their practical in-water test on Saturday morning. The dive was planned and executed for a 37 metres decompression profile with two deep stops at 23 and 15 metres, using EAN 28 for bottom gas and EAN 40 for deco gas respectively.

The dive benefitted from a beautiful spring morning but with a forecast of a strong southerly wind due later in the day. The run up Mulroy Bay on board dive boat Deirdre was under the helm of Dry Coxswain Ryan Ward, who kindly offered up his dive on the morning to allow his fellow divers to complete their test.

The three Sheephaven divers, Kevin Boylan, Doug Fox and Dearn Mc Clintock , are now qualified to conduct decompression Nitrox dives to a depth of 45m for decompression times of up to 10 minutes and using Nitrox mix of up to 80% O2.

Well done to all concerned.

All set and ready to go Kevin Boylan, Doug Fox and Dearn Mc Clintock.

SubSea Summer 2013

7

BRIEFINGS Underwater Hockey – The Basics

The game is played in the swimming pool with two teams of six (plus subs), who chase a weighted puck along the bottom of the swimming pool using a small (30cm long) stick, trying to score goals at either end.

The games last for 2 x 10-15 minute periods during which the players come up frequently for air. Teams are distinguished from each other by different colour hats and sticks.

Birthing from Southsea Sub-Aqua Club in the 1950’s, the sport has evolved and grown to be played in more than 30 countries, the stronger teams currently coming from Australia, UK, South Africa,

France, Colombia, Spain and Canada. For more on the international story check out http://www.cmas.org/hockey.

Underwater Hockey offers a really good cardiovascular workout. It is fast paced and allows players to push their own limits in a safe environment. The sport is noncontact, relatively injury free and because of the playing media (water) teams can be made up of people from all ages, shapes and sizes.

Learning the basics of the game only takes two or three sessions and after that most players are hooked. The game attracts a wide cross section of players from scuba divers to surfers, regular swimmers to those who want to try “something different”.

Currently in Ireland there are two teams – Dublin UWH and Cork UWH. They meet regularly throughout the year for social games. New players are made very welcome at each club.

Regular UK / international team tournaments keep the sport alive. This year Cork UWH and Dublin UWH will hold

SubSea

club tournaments with teams expected from the UK and mainland Europe. An Irish team has qualified for the finals of the UK (BOA) Nationals at the end of April 2013.

Getting Started: Cork UWH; Wednesday night, 8-9 pm, Mayfield Sports Complex, Cork City. Barry Murray 087 9120217 Dublin UWH; Mondays 8-9pm, Tallaght Leisure Centre, Fortunestown Lane. Ciaran McMullan, Dublin – 086 8111625 Limerick UWH Not quite up and running just yet but are on the way.

First Snorkel

Down Through The Years Thanks to the endless and dedicated work of Mick Moriarty our archive not only has a copy of every issue of SubSea from 1973 to the present, but also have them bound in chronological order.

This gives anyone interested in researching SubSea, CFT or indeed information about their own club an excellent opportunity to do so.

It gave me the chance to browse through all the past issues and see how the magazine has developed over the years. It also gave a great insight into how diving has progressed just by reading the articles and adverts. For instance one article in particular recommended that “Drysuits should not be worn by sports divers”. How times have passed him by.

An article by Jerry Stokes on Nitrogen Narcosis is quite amusing but also quite informative and well worth reading.

And the formidable diver Dick Hardiman’s dive escapades leaves you wondering if he would be the best or the worst dive leader you ever wanted to dive with.

There was the “Agony Doctor” too, Doctor Crosby, who doled out advice to the worried or just curious diver. The adverts, like to day helped to cover costs but it is said that collecting payment for some of the adverts cost more than they were worth to the magazine.

As the years passed and the magazine progressed and, yes it is fair to say it became more professional, but it did lose some of its charm. Most editors had the same complaints, clubs will not send in articles and worst of all the Executive members will not send in items for inclusion. How times have changed, or have they!!

As we are celebrating 40 years of SubSea it seems a good idea to include in this issue some snippets from past issues. No doubt they will bring a smile to the face of some of our older members.

8

SubSea Summer 2013

The first Snorkel Fundamentals took place on Achill Island on the 1st May. Seven Children were put through their paces by Davy Cattigan one of our new snorkel instructors from GMIT Castlebar. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the course and are looking forward to continuing snorkeling. If you have a group that would like to take up snorkeling contact Louise in HQ

This was in SubSea in June 1980!

Where is the guy who wrote this and what sort of suit is he wearing ?

Malta 2013

By Don Baldwin, Sean Staunton and Dearn McClintock Diver viewed through swim through. Photo: Don Baldwin.

It would seem that this year the most popular destination for Irish dive clubs has got to be Malta. For this issue of SubSea there are no less than three articles on diving in Malta from three different clubs.

Don Baldwin has reported for Dundalk SAC, Sean Staunton has covered the trip for Donegal Bay club and Dearn McClintock covers the trip for Sheephaven. ll of the clubs dived the same dive sites but it is interesting to see the different views of each site. Don goes on to say that perhaps one of the most popular shore dives is at Cirkewwa, at Marfa Point, the most north Westerly tip of Malta, where a 700 meter stretch of coastline between the north and south Quays, offers a myriad of attractions for divers of all tastes.

The popularity of this dive site is readily obvious by the many divers that visit this peninsula on a regular basis, both experienced and trainee diver alike, as the site includes shallow areas and sheer drop-offs to deeper waters.

Cirkewwa boasts a great variety of attractions. The entire stretch of reef wall is interspersed with small caves and

A

crevices, enchanting arches and inviting swim throughs. Other attractions include ancient anchors, enormous boulders, and two very alluring wrecks.

The rocky coastline of this dive site has three excellent entry and exit points easily accessed, which allow an experienced diver to explore all sections of this dramatic reef with relative ease.

The first point of entry is located directly under the small stone sentry tower at the further most tip of the parking area. Here, divers can plunge into the water where the average depth is about five metres, making sure not to pulverize a submerged diver in the process. Heading west straight out from the shore, the top of the reef gradually slopes to 14m before dramatically

dropping off to 27m and opening out onto a boulder strewn landscape carpeted in undulating sea grass, all easily viewed in the 25m visibility.

Following the wall of Adrian’s Reef to the right and bearing north, one can find a few narrow swim throughs which can test your nerve, before finally coming to the impressive Cirkewwa Arch 12m below the surface, which is regularly patrolled by shoals of amberjacks, all of which can make for spectacular photography.

Sean takes up the story then, they too had their first dive at Cirkewwa but he says a second dive in the same general area took us to the wreck of the tug-boat, Rozi, lying in 32 meters and on the way touched down to approx. 30 meters to a

SubSea Summer 2013

9

Malta

Cirekwewa Arch. Photo: Don Baldwin.

large admiralty anchor sitting upright in the sand. This was my first experience of a proper swim through on a wreck and indeed a first for some other members of the group also.

The following day weather conditions dictated that we move to the southern side of the island and two dives on the Um El Faroud. We had quite of a swim to the wreck. It is broken in two and allowed for two dives, one to the bow area and one to the stern. The prop and rudder lies in approx. 35 meters. Joolz, our dive leader, led us through the wreck and a number of swim throughs. For some of us this was certainly a different type of diving and challenging for the inexperienced

wreck diver. By now Martin, one of our members, had set a challenge for Joolz, we wanted to see a sea-horse, not a problem he said, they are seen quite often here!! We swam back to the reef and again plenty of Poseidon grass but not a sea-horse to be seen.

The following day took us to Gozo.

Again, the weather conditions prevented us from diving the two most sought after dives – the Blue Hole and the Inland Sea. We settled for a dive on the MV Karwela. By now we were becoming more confidant diving wrecks and we touched down to a cool 43 meters, which meant Martin and I were dived up for our advanced nitrox dive to 38 meters planned for the coming

Divers exploring the Rozi. Photo: Don Baldwin.

10 SubSea Summer 2013

weeks. For Ian, another one of our group, it was his deepest dive to date and a memorable record for him.

Following a day of rest and a tour of the island we dived the wreck of the X Lighter 127 at Maneol Island and the HMS Maoiri, all pretty shallow dives but just as enjoyable. As we moved towards one of the wrecks Joolz was keeping a very close watch on any clumps of growth on the sand, he called us over and Eureka he had spotted our illusive sea-horse, he was quite large and of dark colour. We all converged and an array of cameras recorded his presents.

In the mean time Don and his mates are exploring the second and most common entry point which is a waist deep “pool” formed by the natural rock formation, accessible by a purpose built concrete footpath complete with handrail, which leads down to the sea.

This shallow area leads out to a depth of about five metres, an area commonly used for trainee divers, and then drops off to 18m. Directly below and to the right is a small picturesque grotto with a serene statue of the Virgin Mary. This was placed here in 1987 by a local dive club for the protection of divers. An exploration of the wall in either direction will reveal a wealth of nooks and crevices, small caves and swim troughs, where Blennies, Meagre, Lobsters, and Crayfish, covertly ply their trade. While the seabed itself is strewn with boulders and vegetation, excellent habitat for Groupers, Octopus, and Scorpion fish, as it slopes gradually down to 22m, to where a huge sand field begins.

Heading west directly out to the sand field, on the right, one sees the improbable bulk of rock, home to an array of Crabs, Shrimps, and Morays.

Keeping the rock to the right and continuing about 80 metres to the south west the ghostly pale structure of the second wreck the “P29” soon looms into view. The patrol boat “P29,” or as it was formerly known the “Boltenhagen”, stands upright at 35m.

Originally built in Germany, the 52m long Kondor-l Class minesweeper was transferred to the Malta Armed Forces in the mid-nineties where it served as part of the coastal patrol fleet. It was scuttled on August 14th. 2007 as an attraction to divers, and now like “Rozi” it is fast

Malta becoming a refuge for many marine creatures.

Sheephaven divers were covering the same sites but not at the same time of course. While their descriptions are pretty similar, the order of dive sites were the opposite and they finished up at Cirkewwa. But Dearn, forever the historian, includes some information and interesting facts on the island. He tell us that Malta is part of a central Mediterranean archipelago, the other islands being Gozo and Comino and it has an area of 246 sq Km. Geologically, Malta could not be more different than Donegal, as it is made from sedimentary rock consisting mainly of Corraline Limestone, Maerls and Blue Clay laid down 35 Million years ago during the Oligo-Minocene era of mountain formation. Whereas most of Donegal’s mountain building took place between 400 and 1,000 Million years ago Malta’s rise from the ocean floor is so recent that the dinosaurs were extinct before its appearance.

Soil on the island is very thin and immature, it contains no humus and is quite alkaline in nature. Despite the arid nature of the soil the agriculture activities of the island is evident with terraces of vineyards and market gardening, however the soft stone results in the potholed roads that can be seen when traveling around the islands.

The first settlers arrived on Malta at around the same time as they did in Ireland some 8,000 years ago and it has been the home to many races including the Phoenicians followed by the Greeks, Romans and the Arabs whose language

The wreck of the P29, one of the first Maltese Armed Forces patrol vessels. It was purchased from East Germany and at the end of its useful military life was decontaminated and sunk as an artificial reef and divers wreck. Photo: Dearn McClintock.

remains in evidence today in Malta.

Other invaders who came and went were the Normans and their Knights of Malta, the French and then finally the British until Malta finally gained its own independence in1964.

Before leaving Malta there was an opportunity to visit some of the sights of the islands, in particular the cities of Mdina on Malta and Victoria in Gozo.

Mdina, the original capital of Malta, is called the Silent City with a ban imposed on non-resident cars and a visitor to this city will be made acutely aware of the island’s history and stand against invasion.

While on Gozo a visit to Victoria’s

Diver, reef backdrop. Photo: Don Baldwin.

Cathedral to view the uniquely painted cathedral roof which made up of the absence of a dome with this magnificent ceiling, also in Gozo there is the opportunity to visit the megalithic Ggantija Temples, which claim to be the oldest freestanding buildings in the world.

How this claim compares to Ireland’s claim that Newgrange is the oldest building in the world is not clear but both date their origins to over 5,000 years ago.

A final comment on Malta and that is that it was one of the very first foreign export destinations for Oatfield sweets from Letterkenny, many years ago.

Many thanks to all three clubs for their contributions. ◼

Members of the Donegal Bay SAC L to R – Enda McIntyre, Marie McGowan, Ian Staunton, Karen McGee, Martin McGee, Sean Staunton, Paul McCabe

SubSea Summer 2013

11

8

197

1980

1980

1983

1987

t a meeting in the Moira Hotel, Trinity Street, Dublin, on Saturday March 23rd 1963 a number of resolutions were passed unanimously by a number of clubs who were in the processes of launching a new governing body for divers in Ireland called Comhairle FoThuinn. Resolution (D) was “To produce a National Magazine at some time in the future when CFT was well established” this resolution was also passed. While not at the bottom of the list of priorities, it was not too far from there and very little attention was given to this item over the next few years.

It was just over ten years later when the very first issue of SubSea saw the light of day in May 1973. Hugh Hennessy took on the challenge and for the next nine years without fail kept the members of CFT up to date with what was going on in the Irish diving scene.

There has been quite a number of editors over the past forty years and all have done their bit to continue the work Hugh started and indeed added improvements along the way.

The one notable comment that seemed to come up again and again was that;

A

“SubSea, the official organ of the only National Diving Organization in the country, is published to serve both as a source of information and a channel of communication for all members of CFT. Its primary function is to report on the activities of the Council and the Clubs” It is fair to say that SubSea has accomplished this aim admirably over the years and one hopes it will continue to do so over the coming years.

12 SubSea Summer 2013

This was the first issue of SubSea, all sixteen A4 pages.

The event on the cover is that of Shane O’Connor, Gala referee, presenting medals to members of the Limerick Club at the 1972 National Gala. Photo: Mick Moriarty.

And where are those coy little girls now?

Hugh’s memories of his time as editor are well covered elsewhere in this issue but I am sure he never visualized at that time where SubSea would go over the years. What

1994

1998

2000

The past and present comes together.

Hugh Hennessy the first Editor of SubSea and the present one.

twists and turns it would take as it moved from a few A4 pages typed by his wife on the kitchen table to an A5 edition for awhile, back to an A4 again and ultimately to the full colour top class magazine as we know it today, with type setting, a printing company and a distribution company all part of the production team.

In the spring of 1982 Hugh stepped down as editor and Ronan Quinlan took on the role for the next three years.

Ronan started his tenure by overseeing what he called a “Refit” of SubSea but his opening lines stating that “SubSea must first of all serve as a means of communication between CFT and the individual Diver” There it is again!

In 1985 Ronan gave way to another new editor, Harry Smith. Harry re-initiated the aims of SubSea and once again appealed to readers to keep up the good work of sending in articles, photos and any information that was worth sharing with the rest of the diving community. Comdt. Harry, to give him his full title, got moved off to Iraq in the summer of 1988 to take up an appointment as senior military observer with UNIIMOG. As

2007

201

0

you can imagine this was not compatible with a slightly less important role with SubSea. According to the records Billy Nott was “press ganged” into the position of editor until the AGM when a new editor could be elected. Either the AGM did not take place for the next four years or Billy proved to be so good at the job that no one would hear of him stepping down, the latter the most likely.

In the summer of 1992 Pat Dillon over saw his first edition going out. In his editorial, which seemed to introduce a slight lighthearted approach, he took club secretaries to task for not corresponding with him (some things never change) and appealed to members to do so directly. He outlined a number of ideas he had for the magazine and once again appealed for support from the members of clubs around the country. From comments from the next editor, Eddie Burke, Pat seemed to have done a great job and carried out some changes and improvements to SubSea. Eddie took over the title in 1995 and from his first edition took the unprecedented chance of asking members what they wanted from their magazine and even suggested they could complain. A bold move that. Four years later, in 1999, Eddie resigned from the Executive and so relinquished his editorship and Polly Dolan stepped into the breach.

Polly paid tribute to Eddie’s work over the years and set about keeping the show on the road. By her opening comments in her first editorial it looked like she only expected to be in the job a short time but four years later she was still there and in the autumn of 2004 she handed the portfolio back to Eddie again.

Eddie made history by being the only editor to come back to the job a second time. He also came back in a SubSea Summer 2013 13

SubSea EDITORS of SUBSEA

Past Editors.

L to R Ronan Quinlan, Pat Dillon, Hugh Hennessy and Billy Nott.

All celebrating twenty one years of SubSea

fighting mood and suggested that those who are quick to criticise and condemn SubSea are usually the ones who never make any significant contribution to the magazine.

Could that still be the case? No, no one criticizes SubSea these days, do they?

Eddie stepped down again after the autumn issue of 2006 and Joe McCabe took over.

Joe’s aims were to make sure that SubSea made all sections of the diving community included. He wanted to raise the profile of new trainees and snorkellers and indeed non CFT diving groups. He felt that every CFT member should have information on every club in Ireland and details on their dive sites. However, he only remained at the helm for one year, three issues.

For the spring and summer issues of 2008 the CFT Executive took on the task and no doubt had great fun deciding on what should and should not be included. These decisions are difficult enough for any editor to make but for a committee of ten! The mind boggles.

Keith Singleton came to the rescue of the Executive and looked after the autumn edition in 2008. Keith was PRO at the time and only took on the task until the AGM when it was hoped a new Publications Officer would be elected.

At the AGM of 2008 Keith did escape and Marie Grennan became the new Publications Officer. Marie restored a bit of continuity to the position once more and served a full three years producing no less than eleven issues of SubSea. In March 2012 at the AGM she stepped down We did of course, have our advertisers in the early days.

Not too sure how much it cost but it did help.

14 SubSea Summer 2013

Hugh Hennessy

May 1973 – Spring 1982

Ronan Quinlan Harry Smith

Summer 1982 – Spring 1985 Summer 1985 – Summer 1988

Billy Nott Pat Dillane

Autumn 1988 – Spring1992 Summer 1992 – Spring 1995

Eddie Bourke

Summer 1995 – Winter 1998

Polly Dolan Eddie Bourke

Spring 1999 – Autumn 2004 Winter 2004 – Autumn 2006

Joe McCabe CFT Executive

Winter 2006 – Autumn 2007 Spring 2008 – Summer 2008

Keith Singleton

Autumn 2008

Marie Grennan Denny Lawlor

Winter 2008 – Spring 2012 Summer 2012 – Present

SubSea editors through the years.

and handed over the controls to the present incumbent and he inherited an efficient and well oiled machine.

SubSea has come a long way from its humble beginnings all those years ago. We now produce a magazine equal to the best available.The quality of articles, pictures and indeed the magazine itself is second to none. No doubt technology has played a major role in its progress. Items for inclusion can be sent from all around the country, even the world, with little or no effort and within minutes. In fact the diver can send his or her pictures from the dive site within minutes of surfacing.

But all the technology in the world would be useless without the production team. The typesetting, the printers, the distribution team and the editor who pulls it all together.

I know to a large degree the jury is still out on my performance but I feel very honored and privileged to be the editor of SubSea and follow in the footsteps of so many editors before me. Editors, whose names from the early days, were only vaguely familiar to me when I started diving. Hugh Hennessy, Ronan Quinlan, Harry Smith and Billy Nott, I never expected to one day have my name replace theirs.

Well done to all the editors over the years for not just keeping SubSea alive but for building it up to what we have today. Well done to all the contributors, without you we would have very little to print. And to our advertisers who have supported us, we say thank you, we need you.

Long live SubSea ! ◼

Early Diving And The Surfacing of SubSea

by Hugh Hennessy n the early fifties there was a series of Underwater Films made by Dr. Hans Hass. These awakened my interest in spear fishing. Then I came across some people who were forming a club to promote underwater activities. I joined them and thus I became a member of the Belfast Sub-Aqua Club.

For my first snorkel dive I was conned, along with several others, to dress in some old sweaters to preserve heat. Not a great idea. Next day I ordered a dry diving suit from Dunlop at the enormous cost of £14.00 (€17).

These suits were made of sheet rubber with silicone neck and wrist seals and were worn with woolen under-suits.

They had a tube for venting out the air, this made the rubber form wrinkles. These wrinkles caused bruise marks according to the depth achieved.

So a popular form of showing off was to display these bruises (Look at how deep I was!).

We did a lot of snorkelling and spear fishing until someone discovered that a local metal scrap yard was breaking ex-war planes and these planes had oxygen bottles. These bottles held 28 cu.ft. of compressed air and could be converted for use as diving cylinders.

The ultimate luxury was a twin set made by coupling two cylinders together.

All our dive outings in those days were searches for good dive sites. As we got more experienced we started moving further afield. A group of us decided to spend our summer break by going as far west as we could. We ended up in Glencolumkill. Some stayed in what was then a small hotel and others camped. We found an ideal dive site. A harbour formed by a sheltered inlet surrounded by cliffs. There were a lot of steps going down to the quayside and this was a good place for gearing up.

The inlet was prefect for snorkelling and spear fishing and by snorkelling out of the inlet we were in beautiful clear waters for diving.

One Sunday we were kitting up when we saw loads of people standing along the cliff top watching us. We later found out that the local priest had

I

Hugh Hennessy doing what he liked best, apart from producing SubSea all those years ago.

announced at Mass that some divers would be giving a scuba diving display in the harbour. He had put a table on the only road down to the harbour and was charging visitors for the privilege of seeing the “display”. After the dive we were invited up to a local house and treated to a terrific meal.

On our way home from Glencolumkill we found St. John’s Point. Another great dive site, with the added attraction of lobsters and lots of crayfish. It was legal to take shell fish back in those days. Diving down past the laminaria seaweed you came to a sandy bottom and to the left a rock face, with lots of crevices, home to various forms of sea life. To the right there is a very old anchor which may indicate a wreck site.

When CFT was first formed it was a very nebulous affair. Before CFT there was some contact between the clubs in

the form of attending each others AGM’s and annual dinners and occasional dive meetings but no agreed training or classification. Then some members thought it would be a good idea to have a formal arrangement between us. We had several meetings and intense discussions, during which the Irish Sub Aqua Club proposed that we should all become branches of the ISAC and form an organisation similar to the British SAC. Both the Curragh and Belfast clubs would not accept that.

Eventually we made a unanimous agreement to form the Irish Underwater Council to which any club could join but still remain independent. An Executive council was elected from the club representatives present and its first meeting took place in September 1963.

Now the real work started. We had to have a logo. The clubs were asked to send in suggested designs. After a lot of

SubSea Summer 2013 15

Early Diving discussion we decided on the logo we still have today.

Next we needed an agreed certification program. Many long hours were spent arguing the smallest details of the training program. French Federation tests were favored but they needed modification to suit our colder darker waters. Also, we had to align ours with CMAS so that our certificates would be internationally recognized. All this took many long intensive meetings. When we finally came to an agreed program it became my job to have the Logbooks designed and printed. I wrote world wide to other Scuba organizations asking for samples of their logbooks and with these in mind I decided the design and layout of our logbook. I had pages made in the logbooks for the inserting of the Dive Certificates. This was so that we could control the issue of the certificates.

Another problem came when I gave the copy to the printers. They did not appreciate that the tests had to be printed exactly as we had them. Each proof had to be brought to the Executive for checking. When the first lot was printed I checked them again and discovered that they had serious printing errors. Some of the test depths were incorrect. The whole print had to be redone.

Next problem was money. There was little of that available for producing anything.The subscriptions the clubs paid into CFT were not enough to produce these publications. However, I decided to get on with it, using the “Micawber something will turn up!” philosophy.

On a dive with the Dublin club I noticed that they had their logbooks in Allied Irish Bank plastic cheque book covers. What a good idea I thought. I approached a manager of AIB with the suggestion that if our logbooks had these covers it would be good publicity for AIB. He agreed and got me a letter of introduction to the AIB stationary department. Another trip to Dublin but a successful one, I was asked how many did I want. Not wanting to be too greedy I only asked for 2000. They were given to me free gratis. I took them to a printer and had our logo printed on the fronts. Sales from these covered the production costs of the logbook project.

I proposed that we should have a newsletter to keep in contact with each

16 SubSea Summer 2013

other. This was something that came up at the time CFT was formed. With this in mind I published the first Yearbook in 1967.

At an AGM it was agreed that we should have a Publication Officer. I was proposed and was elected to the post. I was editor of a newsletter for the Belfast club so had some experience of the requirements. Roger Fitzgerald of the Curragh club had produced a news sheet for that meeting which he called Subsea World. That is where I got the name for our magazine.

Hugh Hennessy President of CFT 1964-65 Took on the task of producing a magazine for CFT in 1973. First edition of SubSea came out in May 1973 and Hugh kept up the good work for the next nine years.

I circulated the clubs asking them to send me their dive programs and any gossip they would like to share. That was not very successful so I had to improvise by reprinting anything I could to bulk up each copy with. I also made an agreement with the editor of the Scottish SAC magazine and the editor of Dive Magazine to exchange articles.

Next, to get revenue, I contacted sports shops and sports retailers asking for advertising. That gave me some capital to start up but getting advertisers was one thing, getting them to pay was another. I had to make special journeys to them asking for payment.

I collected all the editorial I could find and volunteered my wife Kathryn to do the typing. She was very supportive and spent many “happy” hours trying to decipher my writing. I had a photocopying machine so each page had to be put onto a stencil and then the appropriate number printed.

No computer or word processors in

those days. Then came the task of collating the pages and stapling them to have them ready for distribution at the next general meeting. This was done with the aid of several members of the Belfast club. The pages were set up in sequential stacks. We then lifted a page from each stack and stapled them together to form the magazine.

I brought enough copies of the magazine to the next meeting of the Council to give to each club representative present a copy for each member registered. Then I had to post copies to the clubs who were not present at the meeting.

Producing SubSea in this way was by far too much work so I decided to have the printing done by a commercial printer. I got quotations from several firms and gave the job to the cheapest. Next I decided to change the format. I had dived with some members of a Dutch SAC and they gave me a copy of their magazine. I was very impressed with it and liked the size. It was A5. So that became the new size for several years until a more professional issue was produced in A4 size. Also it became obvious that the only efficient way to distribute the magazine was by direct post to each member registered with CFT. This also solved the problem of knowing who was insured by the CFT Insurance Policy. To be included on the postal database each diver had to be registered with CFT. I repeatedly tried to get the clubs to appoint someone in each club to take on the specific task of reporting items for publication. Alas to no avail! My primary object was to have Subsea as a means of communication between the Executive and all clubs and to record all club activities. But this was not really happening. I would have liked to see more “Letters to the Editor” and more club members “advertising”. But these things can only happen with the active participation of the clubs and the individual club member.

A lot of work was involved in all of this but I got great satisfaction from doing it. Subsea has continually improved with each new editor. From my amateurish start we now have a very professional magazine of which we can be very proud and I happily show off the magazine to family and friends and say “ Hey, Look, I started that!”. ◼

This one appeared in the Spring edition of SubSea in 1989. Not sure who Dick Hardiman was but I sure would like to have him on my side on any dive.

Reminiscences of Diver Dick Hardiman In this the first of a series of reminiscences of famous diver Dick Hardiman he recounts one of his diving experiences off the west coast of Ireland.

I had always hated wimps and the whining of my two companions in the inflatable made me dig my teeth all the harder into the boat's painter as my fins churned the water in an effort to overcome the seven knot current. We had drifted for over a week after our engine had packed in following a seventy-five metre dive to the wreck of the Italian luxury liner 'Maria Goretti', thirty five miles northwest of Inishbofin. This ship sank while carrying the European contingent to the world dentistry conference in New York and is reputed to contain a small fortune in gold teeth.

One of them had gotten slightly bent and I had to recompress him inside one of the pontoons of the inflatable. (See diving manual 'helpful hints' chapter.) He left too much air in the A.B.L.J, and came up too fast.

Never believed much in them myself as during my years as head diver with the Turkish Navy I developed and perfected the natural buoyancy method. A good feed of cabbage before a dive is a great help here. On reflection I should have given more thought to the selection of my team as they quickly turned from the slavering sycophants with which I am usually surrounded into cringing nancy boys at this first sign of bother.

By my dead reckoning, using two spoons and a hacksaw blade as a sextant I figured if we headed southwest for a number of days we would soon pick up the Gulf Stream and would easily make the coast. Food had been a bit on the scarce side, just the odd seagull supplemented by some of the bottom boards of the inflatable which when scraped into thin shavings with the serrated edge of the diving knife and masticated well can be quite nourishing. In a situation like this it is always well to remember that licking the rubber fabric of an inflatable hull as the evening mists descend can produce copious amounts of moisture.

By now a stiff westerly was beginning to get up so I climbed back aboard and put out one of my buddies as a sea anchor and then sent the other guy aloft on the end of the spare anchor rope by inflating his dry suit to about fifty ats. from my twin one of fives. This latter precaution served the dual purpose of providing an efficient lookout and giving us a bit of set eastwards and having done this I settled into a choice piece of bottom board. As I lay back mulling over in my mind the possibility that I would soon have to draw lots between the two lads to boost up the provisions a little (nothing like a bit of forward planning, what!!), My reverie was interrupted by a shout from aloft and a sudden commotion in the water. Here was the answer to our little food problem as a bottle nosed dolphin had jumped clean over the boat and was just sitting there in the water not a foot away grinning foolishly. I'll never forget the look of surprise on his face as I skewered him and hauled him inboard, most uncanny that.

Soon the weather began to moderate and we sighted land a few days later. A boat had put out from the shore and was racing towards us and I could hear the guy at the helm shouting something about mushrooms or words to that effect. 'Dump valve man. Use your dump valve' I shouted to my lookout aloft. “Got to give them our rope quickly” As I stated in the book, never take a line from another boat under any circumstances, laws of salvage and all that. Our friend in the other boat seemed strangely perplexed when I expressed an interest in having a quick dive on this interesting looking reef at the entrance to the bay and was even more so when my crew began kissing his feet, strange behaviour that but as I stated earlier you must choose your diving partners carefully — if a real emergency had arisen these two would certainly never have measured up.

I am presently putting together a team along with my sons Pontius and Atilla for an overland trip to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatski on the Kamchatka Peninsula to dive for the platinum contacts in some magnetic mines left over after the last war, and if anybody is genuinely interested and think they have what it takes they should contact me at head office.

Happy diving!

This appeared in 1991.

Does it sound familiar?

Could it be written about any of your members ?

What Kind Are You? Are you the active members, the kind that would be missed?

Or are you just contented, your name upon the list?

Do you attend the meetings and mingle with the flock?

Or do you mostly stay at home and criticise and knock?

Do you take an active part, to help the work along?

Or are you satisfied to be the kind that just belong?

Do you push the cause along and make things really tick?

Or leave the work to just a few and talk about the 'clique'?

Think this over, members; you know right from wrong.

Are you an active member — or do you just belong?

Anon.

For a number of years in the early 1990s SubSea ran a doctors page where divers could send in their questions and hopefully get the answers they were looking for !! Here is one such question that appeared in the Summer of ’92.

(Did this answer help Brenda ?)

Doctor Cyril Crosbie Dear Doctor Crosbie, Can the pressure experienced when diving affect your sex drive.

Is it true that divers tend to have more female than male children?

Yours Sincerely Brenda O'Neill.

The information to hand would suggest that repeated exposure to nitrogen as in diving has a very beneficial effect on sex drive but there is no greater incidence of divers having more female than male babies.

SubSea 1984. Charles J always knew how to work the crowd.

We were promised that in the next issue Dick Hardiman describes how he removed his own appendix with a divers knife in an inflatable during a force eight gale.

However there seems to be no account of that on record so we can only assume the worst happened.

SubSea Summer 2013 17

Irish Open Spearfishing Championship From the pen of John Hailes

The start of the Irish Open Spearfishing Championships in Valentia, Co. Kerry in possible 1970 or ’71. Each team was given a boat and boatman and were towed out to where they (the teams) thought the fish were. Several UK teams always took part.

Photos by John Hailes who was Competitions Officer that year.

pearfishing competitions were very popular during the early years of CFT. Most of the costal clubs ran at least one event in which most divers participated. As cylinders were small (6-8 lt.) and compressors rare, divers had a lot of spare time which they spent chasing fish with a gun. CFT ran the annual Irish Open Spearfishing Championships at first in Valentia, Co. Kerry and then moving to Killybegs, Co. Donegal. Teams came from all over Ireland and the UK to compete for the esteemed Glaucus Trophy presented by the Irish SAC. It was a two day event run over the Saturday and Sunday of the August weekend, six hours on Saturday and four hours on the Sunday. Ten hours in total making it only for the fully committed spear-fishermen and women. The event was organised by Des Lavelle, the resident dive holiday operator, and the ISAC with the help of the local boatmen who supplied a boat for each team.

The Curragh, led by the late Bernie Brennan, was the team to beat. The year I was on the team Bernie led us up the sound into shallow water where we caught skate and dogfish which were sleeping in the shallow warm water, easier than shooting goldfish in a barrel. We won the competition much to the annoyance of the other competitors who had spent the time in deep water stalking, hard to hit, pollock and wrasse. The rules were changed for the next year. On the

S

18 SubSea Summer 2013

Saturday each team of four divers was supplied with a boat and boatman who would bring them to where they (and he) thought there would be the most fish. On the Sunday all the divers would assemble in a compound to wait for the starting gun to be fired.

Another year under Bernie’s guidance, competitors assembled inside the starters’ compound, the Curragh team arrived in track suits when all the others were in their wetsuits. The reason being that the best off shore fishing ground was up by the lighthouse some distance away, too difficult to reach in a wetsuit. Their suits and equipment were left up there and collected when they got there. One team did follow, the Waterford Harbour SAC I believe, but the long

run in their wetsuits exhausted them. All competitors were required to be back in the compound when the finish gun was fired.

At the 1971 AGM the spearfishermen came to me requesting that the Open Spearfishing Championships be moved to Killybegs from Valentia where it had been held for the previous ten years. I was worried that there would not be enough team boats in Killybegs but I was assured by Bobby Bowman and the divers that every thing could be arranged. Bobby, who was manager of the Killybegs Hotel, organised an interview with RTE before the people in Valentia, particularly Des Lavalle were told of the change. Des was the main organiser, who arranged boatmen and boats for the teams and all the other facilities including the annual dance.

The Valentians were outraged that we had taken the competition from them. The move to Killybegs was not a success, the boats supplied were a mixture of rowing boats and motor boats, clinker built, plywood and fiberglass of all different shapes. The Valentia boats were all the same size and type. The locals in Killybegs did not care about the competition unlike those of Valentia. We returned to Valentia after a couple of years but things were not the same.

Des Lavelle started (I can’t blame him) an anti-spearfishing campaign and warned the English divers that Donegal would be too dangerous for English teams to venture in as it was too near the NI border and active IRA units. This seriously reduced the number of foreign teams competing and the excitement of unknown teams bring. So the Irish Open was not the success in Killybegs as it was in Valentia. I think the end was coming for spearfishing competitions with a gradual pro-fish bias growing. Divers were becoming green and with the advent of underwater cameras they preferred to photograph the fish rather than shoot them. We returned to Valentia one more time for what, I think, was the last Irish Open, we did not have any local support or boats with the result that it showed that spearfishing competitions had had their day. ◼

Seaweed Secrets Bernadette Connolly Martin D.Th.D. I.T.E.C.

(Taken from SubSea Twenty Years ago) Seaweed in rockpool at Hook Head. Photo: Bernard Kaye.

Seaweed is one of natures best food supplements for humans, animals and the land. It is an enriching resource that deserves to be used daily.

Bernadette Connolly Martin Dietary Therapist lets us in on some of the ways we can benefit from it.

There is no shortage of seaweed around the Irish Coast and thankfully a regular supply can now be obtained through most supermarkets. The popular varieties are Dillisk (dulse) and carrageen. There is a long tradition of using these in the West of Ireland where in past generations they have formed part of the stable diet.

It is easy to see why its use was so extensive as the list of ailments it helps is long: Obesity, respiratory and digestive disorders, cystitis, constipation, enlargement of the prostate gland, impotence, uterine and ovarian trouble, irregular menstruation, and many others.

Traditionally dillisk was chewed straight from harvesting. When introducing it to the menu today I suggest you present tempting tasty crisps. These are a winner and make a vital nutritious snack when compared

with what comes out of a Tayto bag.

Very simply clean and dry the red leaves of dulse. Turn on the grill until it is red hot. Straighten out the leaves and pop under the hot grill until they go limp, approximately ten seconds.

Remove these and allow to cool; after a minute the red leaves will be ready to indulge. Another way to serve dulse is to boil until tender and treat as a vegetable for the dinner.

Carrageen can be used in soups, stews, or blancmange. A flavoured drink is easy to take and beneficial for chest complaints. The soft jelly it produces acts as a gentle laxative and soothing for intestinal complaints such as ulcerative colitis. The drink is made by bringing some carrigeen to the boil in plenty of water and simmering for 15 minutes. The juice of an orange or some lemon could then be added for flavour.

It is recommended to take it daily.

Kelp, consists of the larger algae olive/brown in colour. It grows up to a length of 500 feet in the Pacific Ocean.

There is an industry built around Kelp (alas in Ireland it is in its infancy); the production of transparent paper; jelly; garden manure and plant feeds. But most of us would be familiar with the food supplement. This is available in tablet, capsule and powder form and derived from fucus vesiculosus. The powder is handy to add to soups in tiny amounts, as it darkens the soup. When supplementing to make up calcium, magnesium or potassium deficiencies I prefer it in capsule form. Capsules avoid the need for fillers which of course slightly alter the composition of the tablet. This is especially beneficial during times of change e.g. puberty, menopause. It’s high mineral and vitamin content feeds the nervous system and aids the formation of strong bones. The iodine content is useful in SubSea Summer 2013 19

Seaweed Secrets correcting goitre; and in practise I find it immensely good at balancing the body’s systems. Nervousness, anxiety, upsets of the gastrointestinal tract are soothed and greatly improved. The distinctly positive evidence of kelp’s ability to reduce radioactive strontium 90 which persons had taken through their intestines by up to 80 per cent leaves no other conclusion than that seaweed is nothing short of a miraculous sea vegetable.

Adding this nourishment frequently in the diet is good for young and old and a good insurance policy — building healthy systems so that it is difficult for bugs and ailments to survive. So give your immune system a boost and bring home this treasure to the kitchen. ◼

Interested in more ? How about having a go at some cooking and see how it turns out.

Vegetarian and Vegan Seaweed Recipes Penne All’Arrabbiata with Dulse (Palmaria palmata) 1 Tbs olive oil 2 tsp Garlic, finely minced 1 - 1½ tsp Dried red pepper ¼ cup Dulse flakes

1 can tomatoes (28 oz can) Salt 8 oz Penne 2 tbs parsley, chopped

Saute the garlic, Dulse flakes and red pepper in the olive oil. Saute, stirring, for about 3 minutes; do not brown garlic.

Put the tomatoes in a blender and liquefy them. Stir into the garlic mixture. Simmer, stirring, until sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, (about 20 minutes). Season with salt to taste.

Cook the penne in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente (about 10 minutes); drain. Toss with the sauce and sprinkle with parsley.

For further great receipts and seaweed products check out what Rosaria Piseri has to offer on www.seaweedproducts.ie Based in Cashling, Kilcar, Donegal.

This is an abridged version of a lovely article by Gerry Stokes which was written for SubSea when he was NDO. It is funny but also very serious. Well worth reprinting.

Nitrogen Narcosis

By GERRY STOKES

Quite apart from getting sea sick I get narked occasionally, just to break the monotony of the dive. So I have a mild interest in why I get drunk while I am immersed in a non alcoholic liquid. The book says "Its a clinical syndrome characterised, by impairment of intellectual and neuromuscular performance and change in mood and behaviour". Try saying that when you are narked!!!. It sounds like a clinical definition of a paraplegic imbecile, Yet!! it doesn't feel as bad as it sounds.

We all know from our lectures that narcosis is produced by an inert gas (in our case Nitrogen) above a certain partial pressure in compressed air exposure. The effects get worse with increasing depth but interestingly enough not with increasing time at the same depth. This means that when you get narked, if you stop your descent and stay at that depth the narcosis will not get any worse and with time you can even acclimatize to it. But remember a "'Paralytic Imbecile" is no use to anyone at 30m. This state of intoxication is brought about by most inert gasses in whatever mixture we breathe. Inert indicates that these gasses exert their effect without undergoing metabolic change (not used by the body in any way). Helium, the gas we hear most about in "Mixed gas'' diving, does not have a narcotic effect at currently attainable depths, a major contributing factor to its use in deep diving.

The effects of nitrogen narcosis have been compared to the effects of alcoholic intoxication (1 martini for every 15m depth), the early stages of general anesthesia, hypoxia, and to some hallucinogenic drugs. In general it effects everyone differently and even the same person differently on different occasions so beware!! it can sneak up on you. I knew of one diver that just got sad and cried all through the dive. I thought his mask was flooding and kept telling him to clear it

20 SubSea Summer 2013

....not true!!! I just imagined it, I was narked too!!.....but he was crying.

Here are some rough guidelines as to how it can effect you:2-4ats. Mild impairment of performance of unpracticed tasks, mild euphoria.

4ats. Reasoning and immediate memory affected! Delayed response to visual stimuli.

4-6ats. Idea fixation. Laughter (may be controlled). Calculation errors. Over confidence.

6ats. Sleepiness. Hallucinations. Im-pared judgement.

particularly to novices that you get stupid drunk at 30m every time you go there. That is not true, I know a lot of divers that never have been narked and have been to depths greater than 30m (not noticeably that is). It affects everyone differently. It is aggravated by: Anxiety, Cold, Fatigue, Sedatives, Alcohol, and some sea-sick tablets, so be careful of all these. To novices I would say be aware when you go to 30m or deeper that this phenomenon does occur, that if you know it's there you can control it; that it does not get any worse the longer you stay at that depth and most important that it is easily remedied by ascending even as little as 2-3m. If it's going to affect you it will do so within 2-3 min. of you stabilizing at your given depth.

6-8ats, Uncontrolled laughter. Dizziness occasionally. Terror reaction in some.

8-10ats. Gross delay in response to stimuli. Mental confusion. Diminished concentration.

10+ats. Unconsciousness. Death.

Don't let this table frighten you too much as our maximum diving depth is 45m which Is in the 4 - 6ats range, of course if you laugh too much you could break the seal on your mask....sniff water up your nose.....cough choke....and drown. Oh." there I go again frightening you. I just want to alert you to one of the hidden dangers of deep diving. Even for the experienced diver if you are working on a wreck you could get over confident (narcosis) and think you have an endless supply of air, run low and not notice, become mentally confused (narcosis) and drown.

There is a very simple solution to narcosis and one of its most important features which is that it is readily reversible upon ascent, with no after effects whatsoever. A diver can develop some tolerance upon repeated exposures. I don't want to give the impression

A very young looking Gerry and Mary Stokes.

The Magic of Fiordland

by Jenny & Tony Enderby

There’s nothing unusual about my giant stride from the back of the boat into the water, but once the entry bubbles clear it’s far from normal. I’m surrounded by oily fresh water the colour of cold tea, with the emphasis on the cold.

Five metres down it all changes as vertical cliffs appear and I drop into 25metre visibility. The cliffs are festooned with white tree-like black coral colonies.

The living polyps of the black coral are white but the skeleton is jet back and rock hard.

We are diving in the Te Awaatu Channel Marine Reserve, best known as the Gut, in Doubtful Sound. There are good numbers of black coral colonies on the wall, one of the reasons for our trip to Fiordland in the remote Southwest corner of New Zealand’s South Island.

Fiordland, View from Wilmot Pass over Doubtful Sound, South Island, New Zealand.

Photo: Tony and Jenny Enderby.

SubSea Summer 2013 21

Fiordland

A small Red Coral. Photo: Tony and Jenny Enderby.

Above me the surface glows emerald as the sun is filtered out by the fresh water layer. Fiordland’s rainfall, in some places more than 10 metres per year, washes tannins from rotting vegetation into the fiords. This layer acts as a natural filter and dims the light in the shallows to the equivalent of 40 metres depth or more, the

depths where black corals are usually found. The fresh water sits on top of the denser sea water, flowing like a river out to the sea. With little wind and wave action the two waters remain unmixed until near the fiord entrance.

Banded, girdled and scarlet wrasses come close while schools of butterfly

Snake stars wound around black coral branches. Photo: Tony and Jenny Enderby.

22 SubSea Summer 2013

perch hover around the coral colonies.

Inquisitive blue cod hang in close to the rocks where an artist could not have done a better job splattering the encrusting invertebrate marine life around the walls.

Under a ledge, a patch of brilliant red coral, another of Fiordland’s unique animals, glows in my torchlight. This red coral colony is only 45 cm across but is probably more than a hundred years old. The black corals that reach out more than two metres from the cliff could be much older.

On the sand at 35 metres are sea pens, strange colonies of animals that look just like Victorian quill pens. They stand 30 to 40 cm high, their featherlike fronds filtering plankton. A giant star gazer pops up and glares at us for disturbing it, then with a wriggle digs back in leaving only eyes and mouth visible.

Our time here is short and all too soon we work our way up the wall to a safety stop. On a sandy ledge are several large red sea anemones.

Another near the edge glows white with a green centre. Then comes a distraction as a fur seal barrels in for a look. A couple of laps around the intruders and its gone again. Empty

Fiordland

A strange-coloured Sea Perch also known as a Jock Stewart. Photo: Tony and Jenny Enderby.

blue mussel shells litter the ledges and live ones cover the shallows. Large seastars are everywhere and probably account for a good number of the original owners of the empty mussel shells.

A break in the weather allows us into the open Tasman Sea where we motor south to Breaksea Sound.

Acheron Passage, between Breaksea and Dusky Sound is one of the best places to see some of Fiordland’s six million black coral colonies.

It is too deep for our charter boat to anchor, so it drifts along above us.

We drop through the fresh water layer and at three metres we’re into dim blue but very clear water. Black corals are everywhere with some over three metres in height. They stand perpendicular, glowing white, from the near vertical cliff face that continues down to more than 250 metres.

Close inspection of the coral colonies reveals a wealth of invertebrate life around the base. The colonies continue down to more than 40 metres but there’s no need to go deep, just drifting along the wall at 1520 metres is perfect for a close view of these magnificent creatures.

Every so often a large school of telescopefish cruise past and up into the freshwater layer. Another fish cruises near the stubbly kelp, its stripes identifying it as a trumpeter.

In spite of Fiordland’s pristine appearance, natural forces take their toll on the underwater world. A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the

area in 2003 creating massive landslides which slid down the vertical walls, carrying unfortunate marine life, into the depths.

Fiordland has long been recognized as unique with national park and World Heritage status. A strategy was put together to protect the underwater world too. The

Black coral & Diver. The emerald green surface glows above a shallow black coral colony.

Photo: Tony and Jenny Enderby.

SubSea Summer 2013 23

Fiordland

A Seapen, one or the many at the bottom of the Te Awaatu Channel. Photo: Tony and Jenny Enderby.

Guardians of Fiordland was set up by all users, commercial and recreational fishermen, charter operators, Maori, government departments, scientists and the community. Instead of the usual arguments, they worked together to protect Fiordland’s unique marine life.

Two existing marine reserves were added to by a further eight.

Other special fragile areas were classed as “china shops” and given special status where anchoring is prohibited.

Near the entrance to Dusky Sound is the wreck of the cruise ship Waikare, that struck an uncharted rock and sank near Stop Island in 1910. Today a swell coming from the Tasman Sea has

24 SubSea Summer 2013

us turning back into the sheltered waters of the sound.

The water surface is like a mirror and the resident bottlenose dolphins move in for a bow ride. They stay with us for an hour then move away to feed or play. We motor up Wet Jacket Arm, a long fiord, halfway up Acheron Passage, surrounded by high peaks. It ends in a tidal estuary with a wealth of marine life, something noted by the Fiordland Guardians proposal which made the whole arm a marine reserve.

The following morning, our exit from Fiordland is as exciting as the diving. Like a scene from the TV comedy MASH, the sound of an early morning helicopter breaks the silence.

It lands and we pile aboard to watch the day’s first light turn the high peaks pink, making an awesome exit from one of New Zealand’s special places.

Tony and Jenny Enderby are no strangers to SubSea and last year treated us to the experience of diving the Rainbow Warrior. They are both freelance photojournalists specializing in natural history with an emphasis on the underwater world.

Their home base is Leigh, on New Zealand’s North Island not far from Goat Island Marine Reserve, an area well worth a visit if you do visit New Zealand.

You can check out more of their work on www.enderby.co.nz ◼

THE RECOMPRESSION CHAMBER The new chamber and state of the art facility. Photo: GSAC.

In the summer of 1977 SubSea published one of the first articles written about the Chamber in Galway. It has been updated considerable since then. For this issue Joe Fagan has written another article on the chamber and has brought us right up to date on what to expect should we ever need to pay it a visit. The old chamber as described by Dr P O’Beirn in 1977 was built for treatment and not for comfort as you can see from his description. Can you imagine sitting in a cylindrical drum 1.200m in diameter and 2.130m long for four or five hours and wondering if this treatment was going to work. Lets see what the doctor has to say first;

GALWAY RECOMPRESSION CHAMBER (From SubSea 1977) By Dr P. O’Beirn E.F.A R C S

The Galway Chamber is 4 ft., in diameter and 12 ft. long and is divided into two compartments. The main compartment is 7 ft. long with two bunk beds and the outer compartment which is 5 ft. long serves as an air-lock which allows a doctor to enter the the main chamber to visit the patients when the Chamber is pressurized.

There is also a medical lock through which small items can be passed. The air supply to the chamber is from a bank of 2076,000 litre bottles which are charged to a pressure of 2,000 psi.

A set of reducing valves reduce the pressure to 250 psi, before delivering

(Medical Director - Hypebaric Unit)

the air to the Chamber. These reducing valves can deliver air at a

The first chamber which was in use and served us well from around 1976 until the new one came on stream in 2009.

Photo: GSAC.

rate in excess of 9,000 cu ft per hour.

Inside the Chamber are four masks, through which oxygen can be administered.The chamber itself is painted white inside and out and weighs almost three tons.

The chamber is manned by a team of experienced divers from the Diving Clubs in Galway. A full team consists of a Medical Officer, Diving Superintendent. Chamber Operator, Chamber Attendant Recorder and Technician/Gofor. These teams have been undergoing training in the running of the chamber for the past 6 months.

SubSea Summer 2013 29

Recompression Chambers RECOMPRESSION CHAMBERS

By Joe Fagan

As divers, we all know what they’re for but very few of us (thankfully) have ever seen one up close. In Ireland we’re lucky to have access to excellent hyperbaric facilities, including the new state-of-the-art chamber at University Hospital Galway. I am personally very lucky to be involved with Galway Sub Aqua Club, who as many of you know have been involved with the chamber in Galway as operators and attendants on a 24x7 rota since the original small chamber was installed in the mid 1970’s through to the present day. The old chamber served the diving community in Ireland for over 30 years until it was retired at the end of its service life and replaced with the current state-of-the-art chamber in 2009. But more about that later.

The fact that most divers have never seen a recompression chamber is a good thing in general, of course. The one downside is that this can make the chamber seem like a remote and scary place, to be avoided unless absolutely necessary. The reality is far different and the chamber team would always prefer that people seek treatment even if they’re not sure it’s necessary. In this article I’m hoping to give you an introduction to the chamber so that if you ever need one for real you’ll know what to expect. I’m also hoping that knowing what to expect will make you more inclined to go for recompression treatment, or to send others, in cases where symptoms are not clear-cut and it would be tempting to talk yourself into ignoring them. If you’re not sure, go anyway.

If you’re anything like me, you might be surprised to learn that the

The controls of the new chamber.

Photo: GSAC.

30 SubSea Summer 2013

vast majority of patients in most chambers are not divers. Diving and recompression go hand in hand, but hyperbaric oxygen treatment or HBOT is used to treat a wide range of other medical conditions including gas gangrene, various circulatory and blood disorders and certain types of wounds that are not responding to conventional treatment.

In many cases the main benefit of placing the patient in a pressurized environment is that it allows the partial pressure of oxygen (ppO2) in the body to be raised above 1 bar, which is the maximum achievable at surface pressure breathing 100% O2. Increasing the ppO2 in the body is beneficial in any situation where the person’s normal oxygen delivery system is not working as efficiently as it should. The classic examples are carbon monoxide poisoning or “crush” injuries that damage the blood vessels. The increased ppO2 that is possible in the chamber means that whatever blood does get through to the affected areas is carrying far higher levels of O2 than would be possible at surface pressure.

There are many hyperbaric chambers in existence that are designed primarily for HBOT treatment, including several in Ireland.

However many of these chambers have a maximum working pressure of less than a bar above ambient and so are not all that useful for treating divers.

A chamber that is designed for treating divers will generally have a maximum working pressure of several bar above ambient, with airlocks to allow medical staff to come and go and facilities to accommodate stays of several hours at a time. They vary widely in size and capacity, from tiny “mono-place” chambers just big enough to fit one person lying down, to large multi place chambers that are big enough to stand up and walk around, with individual seats and personal entertainment systems.

Most chambers today are still in the mid-range. 5-6m long and 2m or less in diameter. The old chamber in Galway pictured here was in that class,

as is the current naval chamber at Haulbowline. They’re basically just big enough to take 4 to 6 people sitting up, or one or two lying on stretchers, with one or two medical staff hunched over them. Entry and exit is through airlocks like the ones on a submarine, about 1m in diameter. They’re not overly comfortable for patients or staff, but they do the job.

I know that some of the more seasoned Irish divers reading, including myself, will have done training dives in the old Galway chamber over the years and can agree that while it’s not the most comfortable environment, it’s perfectly workable.

It’s also a great experience that I would recommend to anyone. If you ever get the chance to do a chamber training dive - grab it with both hands. The GSAC chamber team are in ongoing discussions with the HSE to get approval to run a limited number of training dives each year in the new chamber, in conjunction with the regular operator training that happens anyway. It’s not agreed yet but we are optimistic for a good outcome.

Big modern chambers, like the new one in Galway shown in the photos here, are a completely different ball game from the sardine cans of old. I’ve been in the new chamber in Galway just looking around, not while it was under pressure, and it’s more like

The interior of the new chamber.

Photo: GSAC.

Recompression Chambers stepping into a train or a small aircraft.

Full size walk-in doors, individual busstyle seats along the sides, space to wheel in a full-size hospital bed if required, plenty of space for medical staff to work, DVD entertainment to while away the long hours. I don’t think they have WiFi yet, but it can’t be far away.

Comfort aside though, the basic principles and procedures of recompression are the same in all chambers regardless of the size. So what should you expect if you find yourself on the way to the chamber?

The first thing to know is that you’ll have to leave all of your normal clothes outside and change into specially provided scrubs or gowns. The reason is that many everyday materials and adhesives that are perfectly safe at atmospheric pressure become flammable at the elevated oxygen levels found in the chamber. Newspapers are not allowed, for the same reason, though glossy magazines printed on heavier paper are usually OK. Once inside the chamber, you can expect to be there for a couple of hours. You’ll be breathing 100% O2 most of the time, with regular “air breaks” to avoid oxygen toxicity. For divers the oxygen is normally supplied through a regulator very similar to a dive reg. Patients whose injuries mean they can’t use a reg, or can’t reliably keep it in their mouths, are given oxygen using a transparent hood that covers the whole head. A medical

attendant is in the chamber at all times and other medical staff can pass in and out through the airlock as required.

Reflecting its origins in diving, a treatment session in the chamber is called a “dive” whether the patient is a diver or not. And it is a dive for all intents and purposes, except that you’re in air rather than in water. The pressure in the chamber is regulated and controlled by operators outside so that over the course of the session you follow a very specific “dive profile” prescribed by the medical staff, almost always based on US Navy recompression tables. Each table specifies a series of depths, time at that depth, and ascent rate to the next depth, eventually ending with you back at surface pressure. Typical run time is 2 to 5 hours.

One thing that might surprise you is that the maximum depth of a treatment dive on US Navy tables rarely exceeds 18m, regardless of the depth of your original dive. Without thinking about it too much, I had always sort of assumed they would bring you back to the depth of your original dive and work up from there.

But no, that’s not how it works. What I learned was that your session in the chamber is basically a very long and carefully controlled series of decompression stops, breathing 100% O2 at high partial pressure most of the time.

After each dive the patient is assessed again by the medics and

further dives may be prescribed. This may continue over several days or even weeks until, as it was put to me, “the patient either recovers or ceases to improve”. Having said that, historically the success rate for recompression treatment of divers who were diving within the limits of their tables and training is very good. Particularly in cases where the symptoms were recognised quickly by the people on the ground and hyperbaric treatment was sought promptly.

Talking to the long term volunteers from Galway SAC, their message is that many people with mild or suspected symptoms are put through one precautionary session where they sit and read magazines in the chamber for a couple of hours and walk away wondering if they wasted everyone’s time. They didn’t. The team would much prefer this to meeting the person for the first time 12 hours later, with serious DCI symptoms that could have been avoided if they sought help in time.

So I hope this article has helped and possibly cleared up some of the myths and misconceptions about recompression and the whole chamber experience. The real lesson is to dive safely and within the limits of your training and qualifications. But know that if something does go wrong there are people there to help, you just need to call on them. Contact the Coast Guard and they will make the call as to where you should go. ◼

The New Chamber The new chamber was installed in 2009. It is capable of treating fully ventilated patients from the Intensive Care Unit and has a full automatic fire fighting system with smoke sensors, heat sensors and sprinkler extinguishing system. The 10 seats can be removed to allow a bed to be rolled in. The environmental system allows the operators to control the temperature within the chamber throughout the treatment. It is fully computerized and can be run in “Automatic Mode” or we can still switch off the computer and run it via “Knobs & Dials” in manual mode. The

entertainment system allows the patients to watch DVD’s or listen to CD’s or Radios during the treatment.

Members of GSAC now provide 24x7 emergency cover for the HMU (Hyperbaric Medicine Unit) 365 days a year as we have proudly done since the opening of the original chamber in 1976 under medical director Dr. Peter O’Beirn who was head of the unit for many years, and also a founding member of GSAC. After Peter’s death in 1992, another founding member Peadar Canavan stepped in as head of the GSAC chamber team. Peadar worked tirelessly to keep the chamber

running throughout his years in charge. In more recent years he fought to win funding for a new chamber to replace the original chamber which was coming to the end of its service life.

The GSAC members operating the chamber today have been trained as Hyperbaric Chamber Operators & Attendants by instructors from London Hyperbaric (Whipps Cross) Hospital. As well as emergency cover, we also run regular 6 week (1 session per day, 5 days a week over 6 weeks – 30 dives in total) treatment sessions for wound care & other illnesses.

SubSea Summer 2013 31

Is your club coming !

Time to buy your tickets for our Gala Dinner and celebrations in September.

Tickets available on diving.ie Club group discount

Please book your tickets early to allow us to plan early

Industrial Pressure Testing Limited are the sole distributors of L&W Breathing Air Compressors in Ireland and are used in a wide range of applications including Nitrox. Please contact us for our 2013 brochure.

We also service other types of compressors and stock a wide range of Filters & Oils Cylinder VIP & Hydro Testing at Ireland's first IDEST Centre Reg No 3R MARINOX Oxygen Therapy Systems, cylinders and cases. Service and repair of MARINOX & DIVEPAK units

Industrial Pressure Testing Ltd Unit H5 Marina Commercial Park Centre Park Road Cork Tel: 353-21-4968383 Fax: 353-21-4968059 e-mail: indpt@indigo.ie Web: www.indpt.ie

Oceanaddicts Submerged Gathering Kinsale 2013

By Anne Ferguson

A group of divers and boats taken at the “Submerged Gathering” in Kinsale back in April. Photo: John Collins.

n a bright and sunny morning in April ten boats left Kinsale Harbour, on board were 68 scuba divers, they were heading out to take part in a Submerged Gathering organized by OceanAddicts to raise some funds for the RNLI. After some seriously bad weather the previous week visibility underwater was not what it should have been, however the sun put in a very welcome appearance and conditions on the surface were good. There was a fantastic atmosphere both in and on the water. Kinsale RNLI launched their rib and travelled with the dive boats for the event. Cork, Daunt and Blackwater SAC’s and Southcoast divers all had their club boats there on the day, there were also divers present from the Curragh, Dalkey Scuba Divers, EMC, NMCI, Seal Bay Divers and UCC SAC’s and a number of diver not affiliated to any club. Oceanaddicts Ribs and two charter boats completed the fleet.

After lunch divers were joined by others interested in the marine environment in the Trident Hotel where they attended two presentations.

John Collins wowed the audience with

O

his spectacular images of our beautiful underwater world and entertained them with the stories behind the

images. Paul Rose presented a snapshot of some of his adventures to date including his work in the

The handing over of the cheque by OceanAddicts to the RNLI. Thanks to all who helped raise funds at the “Submerged Gathering” in Kinsale. Photo: John Collins.

SubSea Summer 2013 33

Kinsale 2013

The RNLI doing a fly past, their way of saying thanks to OceanAddicts and “Submerged Gathering” for their efforts to raise funds for them. Photo: John Collins.

Antarctic, the making of BBC documentaries such as Oceans and Britain’s Secret Seas. Paul also had a serious message about the way Man impacts on the Environment and the devastating effect this is having on our seas and the creatures that live in it.

There was music in the Bar of the Trident Hotel and Saturday night and

I think it is fair to say a good night was had by all. Many previous dive trips were discussed and plans were hatched for some future adventures, with discussion on these serious topics lasting well into the small hours.

On Sunday morning only the most dedicated divers took to the water,

Have your club ordered your Club Board yet ?

Don’t be left out. Make sure your board is on display at the Gala Dinner in September with all the other clubs.

These boards will be part of the decorations in the hotel on the night of CFT’s 50th birthday bash.

You supply your Logo and pictures and we will do the rest.

For details email the Editor on dennysubsea@gmail.com

34 SubSea Summer 2013

they were rewarded for their efforts by improved visibility and reported a very enjoyable diver. A large Octopus made the day for a lease two divers inking at them before going on his way. After Lunch Dr. Tim Butter captivated those present when with the use of microscopes, he projected tiny alien like creatures not visible to the naked eye on screen. It was truly amazing to see the number and variety of life living in a drop of sea water containing about a two centimeter long portion of a hydroid.

Tiny shrimps, worms, sea squirts, strange looking critters few of us will ever get to see again except maybe in a nightmare The event raised €1,125 for the RNLI and a great weekend was had by all. Thanks to all the divers who came along and supported the event, to our speakers John Collins, Paul Rose and Tim Butter. A big thank you also to those who sponsored prizes Cathx Ocean, O’Three, Cork Dive Centre, 4th Element, Flagship Scuba, Aquaholics, North Irish Lodge, Fastnet Hats, CH Marine, and Robinhood Watersports. Thanks also to Failte Ireland for their continued support. ◼ SubSea 1983 From the mid 70s to the late 80s Tony’s name was synonymous with receiving trophies for his sporting activities with the ISAC.

Shark Preservation

By Andrew Roughton

Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus).

Photo: Greg Skomal/NOAA Fisheries Service (Public domain).

Statistics Seventy-three million or more sharks are reportedly being killed every year.

This staggering statistic means that thirty-two percent of the world’s sharks (including Basking Sharks and Great White Sharks) are under threat of extinction. However, Tigers, Giant Pandas, and Asian Elephants (as well as countless other species) are also at a very high risk of extinction. So why should we care so much about sharks?

After all they’re animals the majority of people never see and the majority of people would never want to see. Well, the answer is twofold.

Firstly, sharks are beautiful creatures that have been in existence for over four hundred million years. They are not the

blood-thirsty monsters that the movies, media, and general public perceive them to be. In fact, each year more people are bitten by New Yorkers than are bitten by sharks. And more people are killed by falling coconuts than are killed by sharks. Therefore, it would be an unspeakable crime if this generation were guilty of making a species, which is older than the dinosaurs, extinct forever.

Secondly, our oceans cover seventyone per cent of the earth. Therefore, as we disrupt this ecosystem, we disrupt our largest carbon-dioxide consuming, oxygen generating source. Thus, if we allow ourselves to upset this ecosystem irreversibly, we risk the survival of all species (including ourselves) and not just sharks.

Methods Almost as staggering as the volume of sharks killed each year is the method used to catch them.

Invariably sharks are caught using long lines. Long lines are made of monofilament and vary in size from one mile to over one-hundred miles.

They are kept at the surface by styrofoam floats with secondary lines attached at thirty metre intervals and baited with fish, squid, and occasionally dolphin meat.

I have personally seen a variety of fish, rays, and turtles caught in these lines and I can assure you it makes harrowing viewing. In most cases the animals’ fight to release themselves causes them to tangle themselves SubSea Summer 2013 35

Shark Preservation

Shark fin shop in Hong Kong.

Photo: Gregg Tavares – Creative Commons (CC BY 2.0).

further in the line and results in a slow, fatal strangulation.

Moreover, long lines are indiscriminate. They may be set to catch tuna for example, but end-up catching seabirds, turtles, and sharks.

As a result twenty-five per cent of long line catches are simply thrown back into the sea – more often than not after the animals have suffered a slow, painful death.

However, the barbarity does not end here. Instead, fishermen across the world drag the sharks on to their boats, carve their fins off (regardless of whether they’re dead or alive), and then, more often than not, throw their mutilated bodies back into the ocean. Thereafter, if they weren’t already strangled to death by the long line, the sharks are rendered motionless by their missing fins, and left to suffocate to death on the ocean floor.

36 SubSea Summer 2013

Profits Thus, not only is this practice barbaric, it is confusingly wasteful. Sharks’ fins contribute less than five per cent of their body mass so why do fishermen jettison over ninety-five percent of this particular catch? The answer is simple: money. Shark meat needs to be suitably refrigerated and takes up a lot of space onboard their boats.

Conversely, fins can be cut off, bundled-up, and sun-dried without taking-up too much space, time, or effort. Moreover, at hundreds of dollars per pound, the fins provide fishermen with the largest proportional profits.

The reason shark fins are so valuable is because shark fin soup is seen (by some consumers) as a delicacy and is served at weddings, banquets, and highend restaurants. However, in reality shark fins are virtually tasteless and, as a result, the soup needs to be flavoured with chicken or beef stock.

Shark fin soup is also considered (by some consumers) to have health benefits, such as improving the quality of kidneys, lungs, and bones. There is no scientific proof that this is correct.

Conversely, the US Environmental Protection Agency advises against the consumption of shark fins as they contain an unhealthy proportion of mercury.

Shark fin soup is most popular in East Asia, but it is sold throughout the world. Thankfully, here in Ireland it is becoming less popular. However, some restaurants specializing in Asian food in this country may still have it on their menu so do play your part and do not order this dish. It may also be a healthy choice.

Until demand for this unappetising appetiser reduces, money-hungry restaurateurs will continue to seek profits from the sale of this unethical, immoral, and tasteless dish.

Sadly, soup is not the only shark product available. Shark cartilage is also in demand by consumers around the world. Shark cartilage is taken largely from hammerhead and dogfish sharks, grounded into a powder, and made into a pill to be taken as a dietary supplement. The reason this bogus pill is in demand is because consumers have been led to believe that sharks are immune to cancer and that the consumption of their cartilage will therefore render them immune to the disease as well. This is a falsehood.

Sharks can – and do – get cancer and the consumption of their cartilage will not grant humans immunity to the disease at all. Therefore, if you are visiting a health store or a beauty shop please remember that sharks have needlessly died to make this erroneous drug and that buying shark cartilage is not only a waste of your money, it is a waste of sharks’ lives.

A Great White in New Zealand

Shark Preservation In addition to shark fin soup and shark cartilage, global consumers unfortunately also have a penchant for sharks’ skin, chum, squalene, meat, teeth, and jaws. Sharks’ skin is used as a stronger alternative to cow leather for products such as shoes, belts, and wallets. These products are found more in regions such as the US and Japan where shark fishing is a major industry. However, it is worth checking your purchases in Ireland to ensure they are not made from shark skin.

Similarly, chum is not a product much seen in Ireland. It is more commonly used by diving companies offering encounters with sharks from the safety of a cage in countries such as South Africa, Australia, and the US. However, squalene (shark liver oil) can be found in nutrition centres, shark meat can be found in restaurants, and sharks’ teeth and jaws can be found on eBay. Therefore, if you see any of these products, please avoid purchasing them at all costs.

Future Sadly, despite all this, sharks are not protected species in many waters.

Palau, the Maldives, Honduras, the Bahamas, Tokelau, the Marshall Islands, and parts of Venezuela have closed their exclusive economic zones (EEZ) to commercial shark fishing.

However, throughout Ireland a variety of sharks are still caught commercially.

Therefore, unless we and the rest of the world join the aforementioned, forward-thinking nations and close our EEZ’s to commercial shark fishing, the future looks very bleak for sharks and humans alike.

That is, if we remove sharks from the top of the oceanic food-chain, species below them will go unchecked, some will multiply uncontrollably, others will disappear forever, and we will permanently ruin the entire ecosystem. This is not a simple concept so I will elucidate for purposes of clarity.

At the bottom of the aquatic food-chain there is a microscopic organism called phytoplankton. This minuscule life-form uses carbon dioxide and releases oxygen through photosynthesis at a far greater rate than trees on land are able to. Now, phytoplankton is the staple diet of

An Australian Wobbegong. They tend not to pose for picture taking.

certain fish and mollusc species, which are in turn the staple diet of certain shark species. Therefore, if we remove sharks from the equation, the fish and mollusc species further down the foodchain are left to reproduce uncontrollably and consume endless supplies of the life-giving phytoplankton. Thus, if we continue to fish indiscriminately, deplete our oceans of their top predators, and ruin the natural symbiosis of oceanic life irreversibly, we will dismantle the largest carbon-dioxide consuming, oxygen generating source for mankind forever.

So what can we do to avoid this?

Well, we can start buy vetoing all of the aforementioned shark products available throughout the world. Additionally, we can encourage our friends and relatives

to take the same action. Furthermore, we can join, support, and promote the growing number of shark conservationists that are active across the globe. Here are some useful websites to get you on your way: http://www.sharkireland.com/ http://www.baskingshark.ie/ http://www.irishelasmobranchgroup.org/?page_id=80 http://www.savingsharks.com/ https://www.sharksavers.org/en/home/ http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/ http://www.sharktrust.org/

Remember, sharks are as vital a component of life in the sea, as our existence on land, and they have a right to exist as much as any other species – humankind included. ◼ SubSea Summer 2013 37

Picture Parade From The Dive Show

John O'Connor, Curragh SAC, CFT President 1992–1994.

Peter Brady, Garda SAC, CFT President 1997–1999.

Ted Spendlove, ISAC , CFT President 1975–1976 and George Rider of Galway SAC.

Nigel Kelliher, Inbhear Sceine SAC, Derry McMahon, Athlone SAC, with others.

Manuel di Lucia with Ronnie Hurley, CFT President 1968–1969.

Billy Nott, CFT President 1984–1988, Jim Campbell, David Campbell, Athlone SAC, and a friend.

Ted Spendlove, ISAC, CFT President 1975–1976, Shane Grey and Richard Thorn, President of CFT.

John O'Connor, Curragh SAC, CFT President 1992–1994 and Tommy Goodman, Viking SAC.

Irene Harrison, Peadar Farrell, John Hailes, CFT President 1977–1978 all Curragh SAC.

Thanks to Sarah Lyle George O’Rourke from Lambay Diving Services.

38 SubSea Summer 2013

Seahorses

By Dr. John Carlin Courtesy of Tanked Up magazine Seahorses are among the only animal species on earth where the male bears the unborn young and the term “Male Pregnancy” can be used. eahorses are an amazingly unique creature. They are closely related to the Pipe fish and both belong to a family of fish called the Syngnathidae, which is Greek and means “fused jaw”.

The members of this family have elongated snouts, fused jaws and no teeth.

The average life span of a seahorse in the wild is one to five years. A group of seahorses is called a herd.

Seahorses aren’t racehorses. In fact they hold the Guinness World Record for being the slowest fish. The record is held by the dwarf seahorse which has a top speed of 1.5 metres an hour. It would take most species of seahorse about a minute to swim from the tip of your thumb to your elbow. Whilst seahorses, like other fish, use a gas bladder to regulate their buoyancy, unlike other fish and their close relatives, the pipefish, seahorses swim in an upright position.

They propel themselves by a small dorsal fin on their back that flutters up to thirty-five times a second. Seahorses steer themselves with even smaller pectoral fins which are found near the back of their heads just below their gills.

Seahorses have no caudal (tail) fin but they have what is a called a ‘prehensile’ tail. They use their tail to grasp rocks, seagrass or some other piece of substrate to anchor themselves into position.

S

They have excellent eyesight and their eyes have evolved to move independently just like a chameleon.

Scientists believe that this allows them to watch their prey whilst keeping an eye out for predators. Just like chameleons (and cuttlefish) they can change their skin colour and patterns to blend in with their environment. Some species of seahorse can even grow fleshy filaments which mimic algae or other plant life found in their habitats and so are very difficult to spot.

They are carnivores and voracious eaters. They have no stomach and food passes through their digestive systems so quickly that they must eat almost constantly to stay alive.

They use their elongated snouts to probe into nooks and crannies to suck in plankton and/or small crustaceans that drift by. When they find food they suck it up their snouts like a vacuum cleaner. Interestingly their snouts can expand if their prey is larger than their snout. Mysis shrimp are a seahorse favourite. These so-called shrimp are actually a type of crustacean and are only 0.25cm long. A seahorse grazing continuously can eat over 3,000 of these ‘shrimp’ every day.

Seahorses have very small territories. The female is more of a wanderer with a territory size of about 1.4 square metres whilst the male only has a territory size of 0.4 square metre and mating pair’s territories overlap.

It was thought for a long time that all seahorses were monogamous and that they mated for life. However, many species form pairs that last through a breeding season but some species will readily switch mates when the opportunity arises.

Before breeding, seahorses will ‘court’ for several days. They will swim side by side, sometimes changing colour and eventually gripping the same bit of substrate to wheel around in unison in what is known as the ‘predawn dance’.

Nothing too strange so far but this is where it starts to get weird.

The mating pair eventually engage in a true ‘courtship dance’ which can take up to eight hours. Once the female’s eggs are ready, both seahorses let go of the substrate with their tails, and snout to snout, as they drift down, the female inserts her eggs into a ‘brood pouch’ located on the front of the male’s tail in the mid-rift area.

Females can deposit up to 1,500 eggs into this pouch and then once she is done she simply swims off. The male incubates the eggs for two to six weeks with the female visiting him on a daily basis. These ‘morning greetings’ last for about six minutes and are reminiscent of their courtship dances.

The male tends to ‘give birth’ during the night. When the young are ready to be born, the male relaxes his pouch muscle and pumps his tail backwards SubSea Summer 2013 39

Seahorses and forwards to pop the baby seahorses out. This process may take a few hours and by morning he is ready to start mating again.

Seahorses are among the only animal species on Earth where the male bears the unborn . young and the term ‘male pregnancy’ can be used.

The average number of young released can vary from five to over a thousand. The newborn baby seahorses are known as ‘juveniles’ and they are tiny replicas of their parents. They are typically less than 1cm in size (smaller than your smallest finger nail) and as soon as they are born, they are on their own. Less than 1 percent of juveniles will make it through to adulthood.

They are extremely susceptible to predators and ocean currents taking them away from food and into hostile environments.

So why has mother nature reversed the reproductive roles? Researchers are still unsure but they do know that through research, reproduction is more

40 SubSea Summer 2013

Seahorses have been protected since 2004 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) which banned them from being imported and exported.

Seahorses are under threat worldwide for three main reasons: 1. As many as 20 million are thought to be caught and sold for the Chinese Medicine Trade 2. The Curio Trade (a term used to describe the selling of a wide range of animals for the production of jewelry) is responsible for an estimated 1 million seahorses being taken from the wild every year 3. The Pet Trade takes an estimated one million seahorses from the wild, however it is thought that less than a thousand of these survive more than six weeks energetically costly to the female who loses about a third of her body weight to produce the eggs.

Overfishing and habitat destruction are having an impact on population sizes of these secretive little creatures. ◼

Club Spotlight

Limerick Sub Aqua Club – since 1960

By John Breen, Chairperson, LSAC

Joe Earls, Cox’n, with a boatful of divers. Clare Island, 1985. Photo by Mike Hynes.

imerick Sub Aqua Club has the honour of being one of the founding clubs of the Irish Underwater Council, CFT, in 1963.

Though there were name changes in the early 1960s, LSAC has been the focus of diving in the Mid-West since 1960. So Happy Birthday to CFT – sure you’re nearly as old as us! And as we face the summer of 2013, with our new trainees, and with the same optimism that every club faces each season: the year ahead will surely be the best year yet for diving. We expect high pressure and slack winds every weekend from now until the end of October. It doesn’t always end that way, as we all know.

L

The early days In July 1960, five people met in Killaloe (Hector Newenham, Douglas Brislane, Rodney Shore, Desmond Fitzgerald and Raymond Roche) and paid £5 each to form a diving club. They became the Killaloe Branch of the Irish Sub Aqua Club. Around the same time, five

divers from Limerick (Ronnie Hurley, Adrian Clancy, Johnny Ryan, Ray Doyle and Dermot Fitzgerald) joined the Curragh Sub Aqua Club and were diving in the sea. By 1962, the Belfast, Irish and Curragh Clubs started discussions to form a federation of Irish diving clubs – later CFT. In 1964, the Club acquired premises in Limerick and the name of the club became the Limerick Sub Aqua Club at the first AGM, in April 1965. LSAC is proud to report that one of our founders, Ronnie Hurley (CFT number 196 – CFT membership numbers started at 100), is still very much an active diver in 2013. Ronnie has been a stalwart of the club since the beginning and has a huge archive from the early years.

There are stories yet to be told about those early years. Many of the early divers were involved in spearfishing and this new SCUBAthing gave extra time over breathholding. Fintan Mullowney and Joe Roddy represented Ireland at the

World Spearfishing Championships in Cuba in 1967. Apparently some of the air cylinders were modified Tadpole air tanks, ex British War Department RAF Mosquito aircraft, and that a car full of cylinders would be driven from Limerick to the Curragh for filling – as the only compressor was there. Wet suits arrived as pre-cut pieces which you glued and taped yourself.

Obviously there were no such things as dive computers, nor diving safety tables. But I have the impression that the depths dived then were approximately in feet similar to those in metres dived today.

In 1966, LSAC, under Dermot Fitzgerald, organized a very successful National Underwater Photographic Competition. Later, LSAC hosted biannual international underwater photography competitions organized in Limerick by Mike Hynes (1975, ’77 and ’79) and by Pat McCoole in Killaloe (1981, ’83 and ’85). Club training was originally in the pool of the Lakeside Hotel, Killaloe and then in SubSea Summer 2013 41

Club Spotlight

Ronnie Hurley, Ray Doyle and Mick Moriarty prepare for a dive in 1961. Photo: R Hurley archive.

the outdoor Corbally Swimming Baths.

By 1968, the Club had two 2nd Class and eleven 3rd Class qualified divers amongst a membership of 77. They had to pay £2-18-4 in tax to the Revenue Commissioners from the proceeds of the first Christmas Social, held in December 1968 under the chairmanship of Tony Clarke. (I can’t resist adding a 2013-style LOL .)

The Middle Ages Since the 1980s, the Club members train in the swimming pools at the University of Limerick. Originally this was a 33-metre pool with a very useful Diving Pit. Nowadays, it is the state of the art 50-metre pool – we share four lanes every Tuesday night with Aughinish SAC and UL-SAC. This is expensive for the Club treasurer, Frank Hopkins, but very popular with our

Brian O’Leary, Cox’n at Children of Chernobyl Barbecue, Lough Derg. Photo: LSAC Archive.

42 SubSea Summer 2013

members. Peter Walsh, a snorkeler and free-diving enthusiast, tries to train the club members to survive underwater without air! Who needs cylinders? Sure the pool is only 50-metres long?

The first club compressor was a Luchard, 4-stage, 3,500 psi delivering 5 cubic feet per minute. The compressor was eventually housed in Henry Street Garda Station – where our current Club compressor still is. You can see the evolution of the Club through its list of boats. Prior to the mid-1970s the Club did not have a boat. Then we acquired an aluminum “assault craft” and soon after, a Gordon. During the 1980s the Club boats were a Zodiac and a 5-metre Delta. Our more recent boats were a 5.8-metre Humber with twin Yamaha 90HP engines, and our present boat, a 6.8-metre Tornado with a 225 HP Mercury engine.

Dave Ryan, Cox’n. First dive Kilkee, 2010.

Photo: LSAC Archive.

Since the 1990s the Club members are diving together, both at home and abroad. Bank Holiday weekends are usually away weekends. Popular venues include Portmagee / Valentia, St Finian’s Bay / Skellig, Schull, Waterville, Achill Island, Inishboffin, Clare Island, Ballycastle and Baltimore / Lough Hyne. This hones the members’ skills in picnics, barbecues, fishing and cooking. Groups from the Club have also organized diving abroad – from the late 1970s to the Red Sea and later to Cuba. Each year we have groups planning trips e.g. to the Red Sea. Our “everyday” home diving is mostly in Portroe Quarry during the winter, then based in Kilkee early in the year and again late in the year. The May Bank Holiday sees us in Kilkee.

We are usually in Portmagee for the June holiday and in Quilty for the August weekend. We tend to “migrate” to north Clare, based mostly out of Doolin or Doonbeg, during the summer months. OK – as the club is now into its sixth decade, we are a bit set in our ways, a bit predictable, but the diving is excellent and there is a lot of experience of individual dive sites.

For quick evening diving by a few members, there are nice shore dives at the Bridges of Ross, in Kilkee (Doctor’s Rock and Myles’ Creek) and at Flaggy Shore, north Clare. Night dives are organized at short notice when the weather is suitable. Increasingly, many of the members have taken up underwater photography and are taking an interest in the identification of what we see on dives. Some have completed Seasearch courses.

The Club is involved in the community. It has exhibited at Science Weeks in the University of LImerick.

Some members undertake search and rescue. Annually, LSAC is involved with other local clubs in organizing a barbecue and boat rides on Lough Derg for the Children of Chernobyl.

However, economic realities also mean that the Club gets involved in fundraising to part-fund our activities. We have benefited from Lotto money towards our present boat. Our PRO, Theresa O’Connor, organizes a series of events such as table quizzes, bagpacking, collecting metal in skips for

Club Spotlight

Umberto Pellizzari (Freediving Legend from Italy) with Peter Walsh of LSAC, June 2004, Portmagee. Photo: Peter Walsh.

sale! The Club does not have premises for the boat, nor do we have a Club vehicle for towing. A club that drinks together, stays together! These days, the drink tends to be lucozade in pint glasses. But we meet after training during the winter, and regularly on Tuesday nights during the diving season to plan dives.

The Club also plays its part in CFT. LSAC hosted the very successful Underwater Ireland 2000. The Club has also hosted a number of CFT AGMs over the years. Some of our members have had positions at CFT level: Maeve Callinan (Hon. Legal Officer); Martin Hennegar (Hon. Vice

Maeve Callanan, John Allen, Mike Hynes and John Spain launch the boat, Kilkee 1985. Photo: Mike Hynes.

President); Ronnie Hurley (President); Pat McCoole (Competitions’ Officer); Colm O’Shea (Treasurer); Dr Tom McDonnell (Hon. Medical Officer); Mike Orth (current Vice Chair); while Brian Kearney and Pat McCoole have been Regional Diving Officers.

The Club website (limericksubaqua.com) is now an allbells-and-whistles site, much used by the Club and an excellent showcase for the Club. This is largely due to Mike Orth but the active participation by some members posting blogs and pictures, keep it lively. Anyone interested in the early days of diving in Ireland should visit our website, click

on Club History and then on Club History again. It’s all there up to 1990.

Also look into the Memorabilia section too. Thank you Ronnie, our Archivist! I hope those of us in the electronic era will be able to assemble such good records! Nowadays the Club communications are all electronic and ably co-ordinated by our secretary, Eimhear O’Brien.

Acknowledgements I’ve drawn heavily from Ronnie Hurley’s memory and archives, but thanks also to Mike Orth, Mike Hynes, Brian O’Leary, Eimhear O’Brien and Tom McDonnell. ◼

This little ditty appeared in SubSea in 1993. Is this the prayer of today’s Moniteur’s?

The Contributor of this little ditty assures me he shares it with us to demonstrate how much things have improved from the bad old days, names mentioned are only there because they rhyme. No offence should be taken.

A Moniteur’s Prayer Commend us Lord, unto your liking, To clubs like Dalkey, Kish and Viking, Mark clear our course to heaven’s portals And bar the way to lesser mortals.

Preserve us Lord from all the snarling Of the devil from the Marlin Safe within our lofty stations From his tirades and orations.

Strike us Lord blind, deaf and dumb If ever we unfair become Plague us with cobras, asps and adders If we attempt to pull up ladders.

Write large our deeds in flame and fury If we behave bad on a jury, Inscribe our names there while you’re penning Beside the Lord of hassle giving.

Please never question Lord our morals If we should rest upon our laurels Make divers all appreciate That we from armchairs must dictate.

If by the seaside we should large to carry And one more thing lest we forget, Please God forbid we should get wet.

If we the rules should bend or switch Or move the goalposts round the pitch Or if we feel we’re under siege Remind us of ‘Noblesse Oblige’.

If we should die, for all to see As tombstones let our modules be.

And write thereon in letters high, “Lord as I’ve judged, so judge you I”.

Last Verse: “If my behaviour’s been a farce, Let fiery wetsuits burn my arse, If I compared, ochone ochone, To Hardiman or Al Capone.

SubSea Summer 2013 43

Old, but as good as new

By Derek Lawlor Scubapro regs brought back to life. Almost 40 years of age and refurbished to original standard. Photo: Derek Lawlor.

grew up surrounded by dive gear as both my parents were divers and in due course, I too, as well as my siblings all became divers. Nothing unusual about that I hear you say.

The ritual of washing dive gear was part and parcel of every weekend and I remember the special care given to the regulators. Years later as the family grew up and had all gone their separate ways I came across the same regulators stashed away in a safe place but totally rejected as deemed no longer fit for purpose, while at the same time hung onto, perhaps, for posterity.

I retrived them and felt they deserved better in view of their history.

I got the metal parts re chromed and in due course deposited a plastic bag full of bits and pieced to a very excited George at Lambay Diving Services.

George would be the first to admit, as he spread the contents on his bench, that this was not your regular service job but he willing took on the task of

I

44 SubSea Summer 2013

bringing them back to life. He confirmed, as I suspected, that I had, all be it in small pieces, a Mark 1 and Mark 2 Scubapro reg. The M 1 would have been purchased around 1975 and would have cost in the region of ÂŁ65 while the M 2 was probably bought a few years later and no doubt cost a bit more.

George went on to explain that while the regs were heading for 40 years of age the condition was perfect and attributed that to the care they got over the years.

Apart from the rubber in the second stage on the M 1 he had little problems in getting what few spare parts he needed. Both the M 1 and the M 2 second stage are the 108 or 108 HP and are the first Scubapro second stage wholly produced by Scubapro.

They were made of chrome-plated brass with a black rubber exhaust tee and were available to the public from 1963 to 1988. The later edition that

came out a few years later in1969 was the 109 and this was one of the first regs to be adjustable allowing the diver to adjust the flow of air should he/she be in a current and need to prevent a free flow.

George has wealth of information when it comes to dive equipment but be careful that you have the time to hear him out on his pet subject once you get him started.

And while you are there ask him to show you some of the tanks he gets in for servicing. You will be quite shocked at what you see in some of them and you will take greater care of your dive gear in future.

What a brilliant job George has done. They do look like new again and he tells me that I could dive with them if I wanted to.

Well done George and many thanks.

Sorry Mick, but these are not going to the CFT Archive. â—ź

Seasearch Guide to Bryozoans and Hydroids of Britain and Ireland

By Dr Joanne Porter Reviewed by Tim Butter, CFT Scientific Officer can almost hear people reading the title of this book and thinking the “Seasearch Guide to What and What?” Well, bryozoans and hydroids are two large groups of marine animals, many of which can be commonly seen on Irish dive sites.

They are fascinating and often very beautiful organisms and this is the first photographic guidebook for the identification of these animals in our waters.

Although bryozoans and hydroids are completely unrelated groups of animals, they do have a number of characters in common. They are both filter feeding animals that are fixed to the seabed and rely on the continual movement of the surrounding seawater to deliver their planktonic food supply.

They are both colonial organisms.

This means that the organism you see is actually formed from a large number of very small individuals. They are also both main constituents of what marine biologists call the “animal turf ”. This is the covering of small marine animals that smother many underwater rock

I

surfaces, especially where seaweeds are sparse or absent (such as on overhangs and in deeper water). To anyone unfamiliar with these animals, their shape and colour means that the colonies can be easily mistaken for plants.

“Reviewing old underwater photographs I am now able to get reliable identification of a number of previously unknown species.”

To get an idea of the types of organism that this book is about, the easiest way to see both groups together is to look at some kelp on your next dive. The flat white growths encrusting the stem and frond will be one of the Sea Mats, which are types of bryozoan, whilst the fuzzy white growths belong to a hydroid that is sometimes called Kelp Fur. Other

easily recognized types are the Ross Coral (a bryozoan), and Sea Beard (a hydroid).

There are around 300 species of bryozoan recorded from the British Isles, and in excess of 100 species of hydroid. Many of these species can only be reliably identified by microscopic identification. This book concentrates on around 120 of the commoner types that are easier to identify during a dive.

From my own experience, if I encounter an unknown species during a dive, I will try to take a photo and then review the photo later using guidebooks and on-line resources to get a positive identification. This book will undoubtedly be of invaluable assistance in this process. Reviewing old underwater photographs I am now able to get reliable identification of a number of previously unknown species.

The layout in this book for most species of hydroid and bryozoan consists of a whole page with information on key identification SubSea Summer 2013 45

Book Review highlight the subject species within photographs of mixed species.

There are a few minor typographical errors and also some errors in captions for photographs.

For example, one of the two pictures used to illustrate the bryozoan Exidmonea atlantica is captioned with the incorrect scientific name (the other photo has the correct name in the caption). The combination of less than optimal photographs and minor text errors suggest that the book was somewhat rushed to press. However, these issues will not interfere with the primary function of the book as an identification tool and guide book.

“This book is the first guide available for the non-academic, using high quality photographs of the living organisms in their natural habitat.”

A typical page from the book to help you learn about our marine life.

features, similar species and distribution around Britain and Ireland. The general size of the colony is approximated in terms of the size of your arm, from fingernail size to hand size up to fingertip-to-elbow for the very largest types. All species are illustrated with at least one colour photograph. The information is well laid out though the text is quite small and hard to read, particularly the pale italic type used for the photograph captions.

The vast majority of photographs are of a high standard, particularly those of the hydroids. However, there are a few that are either slightly out of focus or that show a variety of different organisms and where it is difficult to know what is the actual subject of the

46 SubSea Summer 2013

“Most identification guides to date are very academic and require the use of a microscope, so the animal must be removed from the sea.” photo. Many hydroids and bryozoans are usually found in dense growths comprised of a mixture of different animals and plants (turf ) so it is sometimes not possible to photograph one species without including others.

However, it would have been useful to

The hydroids and bryozoans contain some of the most difficult marine species to reliably identify.

Most identification guides to date are very academic and require the use of a microscope, so the animal must be removed from the sea. This book is the first guide available for the nonacademic, using high quality photographs of the living organisms in their natural habitat. The number of different species included goes far beyond that covered in the general marine life guide books currently available.

Hopefully, those who read this book will be inspired to find out more about our native bryozoans and hydroids, two groups of animals that certainly deserve to be better appreciated by divers. It has certainly opened my eyes to the huge variety of species we have in our local waters.

This excellent book fills a very valuable niche for anyone interested in learning more about marine natural history. And for those who enjoy completing Seasearch forms it will be essential reading. ◼

New CFT Executive Council

CFT News

At the AGM in Athlone it would appear the all the delegates were happy with the work carried out by the Executive Council over the past twelve months and were happy to re elect them for another term of office. The only change was a new Snorkelling Officer as Steve Singleton stepped down and Martine McCarty took on the role. Martine is a founder member of the Pisces Snorkelling club which was founded a few years ago. She is a qualified Snorkelling Instructor and have enjoyed snorkelling in the waters

The Executive Council for 2013 One new member, Martina McCarthy who joined us as snorkelling officer

around our coast from Donegal to Wexford and most places in between.

Her aims for the coming year are to promote snorkelling and encourage more women into our sport. We wish her every success in those worthy aims.

We should also mention Tim Butter who joined the executive the middle of last year as our new Scientific Officer.

Tim came on board mid stream when Gerard Donnelly stepped down. Tim is a member of the Cork SAC since 2000.

He is a club diver and was chairman of

the club for the past three years. He is a biologist and an ecologist with a particular interest in water quality.

Right now Seasearch and Underwater Archaeology are his forte but he does admit to enjoying the odd wreck dive.

The Technical Commission was also elected at the AGM and are as follows, Stephen Smyth National, Darach Rossiter National, Niall Stapleton Curragh SAC, Jean Kelleher Curragh SAC, Paul Maloney Aer Lingus SAC, Aude Richard Aughinish. â—ź SubSea Summer 2013 47

CFT News Incident Report 2012 48 incidents and near misses were reported in 2012, 8 of which caused injury and 1 fatality. For comparison, 61 reports were received in 2011 and only 14 reports have been received to date for 2013.

I would like to thank all divers who went to the effort of submitting incident reports or near misses to date and would like to encourage divers and snorkelers to report issues in the future. The main objectives of reporting near misses are to learn from our mistakes and identify training needs.

Table 1 is the breakdown of the incidents for 2012, the full list is also available below.

Table 1: 2012 incidents categorised.

Category Buoyancy

Proportion 27.08%

Equipment failure

22.92%

Missing divers

12.50%

DCI

6.25%

Panic

6.25%

Other

25%

There seem to be a growing incidence of equipment failure. It is the responsibility of every diver to ensure that their equipment is fully serviced and used according to

manufacturers’ recommendations.

There has been also several cases of missing divers, where the coxswain followed correct procedure and the divers were recovered quickly. The use of SMBs as soon as divers feel they are drifting is recommended.

Insurance. Full reports need to be sent within 7 days to incidents@diving.ie or head office. Note that the procedure for reporting incidents (CFT #305) has been updated last year for more clarity and is available on COMs in the incident reporting section under documents. ◼

Table 1: Detailed listing of 2012 incidents.

Incident or near miss

Summary

DCS

A diver was placed in the hyperbaric chamber after feeling pain in the right shoulder.

DCS

A diver developed signs of DCS late after the dive and required two sessions in the hyperbaric chamber.

Burst lungs

Investigation on-going.

Loss of buoyancy/Burst eardrum

An instructor lost buoyancy during a rescue diver practice and damaged his eardrum.

Fast ascent

Fast ascent, placed in the hyperbaric chamber for prevention.

Fast ascent

Fast ascent while practicing rescue lift in poor visibility

Fast ascent

A candidate had a fast ascent during his rescue assessment. He was placed on O2. No DCS symptoms.

Fast ascent

A trainee ascended rapidly from 14m to 7m where he held onto a ledge and was joined by his buddies.

Uncontrolled ascent

A trainee lost buoyancy on the safety stop after losing weight pouches during an attempt to regain control of buoyancy by fining upside down.

Uncontrolled ascent

Uncontrolled ascent from 16m to the surface.

Uncontrolled ascent

Cramps in both legs leading to uncontrolled ascent.

Uncontrolled descent

An instructor and trainee missed the reef and trainee dropped to 46m. Instructor assisted on ascent.

Diver Equipment failure/ uncontrolled ascent Diver Equipment failure/fast ascent

A diver had an uncontrolled ascent due to swell, BCD malfunction and distraction.

Diver Equipment failure/fast ascent

Dry suit dump valve failure, leading to fast ascent and suspected DCS.

Diver Equipment failure/fast ascent

Uncontrolled ascent caused by regulator failure. The three divers went to the hyperbaric chamber for prevention.

Diver Equipment failure

A diver was lifted to the surface due to a faulty shoulder dump.

Diver Equipment failure

Regulator free flow.

Diver Equipment failure

Dump valve stuck open when testing equipment.

Diver Equipment failure

Dry suit hose ruptured suddenly on the way to the dive site.

Diver Equipment failure

Free flow during a club diver test.

Diver Equipment failure

A diver was lifted to the surface as the inflator was not working on the BCD.

Diver Equipment failure

2nd stage of regulator failed after being serviced, no octopus on the reg. Had to use buddy’s octopus.

Diver Equipment failure

Flooded loop on rebreather.

Diver Equipment failure

Free flow during a dummy club diver test.

Boat Equipment failure

Inboard diesel powered rib lost propulsive power due to a fuel system blockage.

Boat Equipment failure

Faulty fuel line

Missing divers

Two divers got caught in a counter current and surfaced away from the rest of the divers. They swam to land and were recovered there.

Missing divers

Two divers went missing but were recovered by the RNLI.

Missing divers

Two divers were missing and were recovered by the dive boat after 40 minutes.

Missing divers

Shore divers unable to get back to shore

Missing divers

A group of divers drifted for about 1 mile. They were recovered soon after calling the coast guards.

Missing divers

A group of divers went missing due to fog and currents.

Panic

Trainee having difficulty with buoyancy, panic. Dive aborted, trainee assisted to the surface.

Panic

A diver fell uncomfortable with his new mask and was assisted to the surface

Panic

A trainee on his second snorkel had a panic attack.

Lack of fitness

A diver felt unwell on the dive with increased hart rate. This was explained by tiredness and lack of water fitness.

Shortened deco stop Problem equalizing

Two divers went on O2 after one of them shortened an unplanned deco stop. The diver had not noticed that the computer was indicating a mandatory stop.

A trainee diver descended to 4m too quickly without equalising. The dive was aborted due to strong current.

Surfaced under the boat

In a group of three, 2 divers surfaced near the SMB while the third diver surface under the boat.

Headache

A trainee complained of headache and suffered minor nose bleed after a dive.

Samba

In a pool, a snorkeler experienced a “samba” or near shallow water blackout.

Blackout

A Trainee diver had a blackout in the water shortly after surfacing due to an under lying medic condition

Man overboard

Lone Dry cox’n fell out of the boat during trip to recover the boat

Squeezed hand

Hand squeezed between bottle rack and cylinders.

Torn tendons

Twisted ankle when jumping from the slip to the rib.

Torn ligaments

Fall on a slipway after recovering boat.

Fire

Fire damage due to compressor, boat destroyed, club member injured.

48 SubSea Summer 2013

A diver ascended too fast due to malfunction of the BCD inflate button. O2 was administered.

CFT News

Election of Officers – Proposed to Change to Memorandum and Articles of Association of CFT ention ‘Governance’ or ‘Annual General Meetings’ or ‘Companies Office’ or ‘Audits’ to most people and they will yawn, their eyes will glaze over and they will privately hope you will go away quickly and bore someone else. However, it is arguable that failure to do these things properly in our banking sector is what has got Ireland into the mess that it is currently in. Governance is not just about ticking boxes and paperwork. At its heart it is about ensuring that an organisation sets out the things that are important to its future within an ethical and legal framework and which are built on values which are regularly checked to make sure the organisation lives out those values in the interests of its members and society more widely.

In addition to the banking sector, failures of governance within the Catholic Church and in at least one sporting organisation have led to those organizations being shaken to their core.

In the case of what is now Swim Ireland, a failure of governance led to the Irish Amateur Swimming Association being disbanded and reformed as Swim Ireland after revelations about child abuse and failure on the part of the organisation to deal adequately with this major governance issue.

The Irish Underwater Council/CFT has regularly reviewed its governance arrangements and reacted accordingly to ensure that its practices are in line with what would be regarded as best practise in voluntary organizations. For example, the increased emphasis on child protection nationally has led directly to enhanced processes and procedures within CFT to ensure that what we do as an organisation in child protection is in line with best practise.

In 2012 the Executive Committee of CFT requested Boardmatch, an organisation that assists voluntary organizations to ensure their boards function properly, to undertake a review of our governance arrangements. At the time

M

they made a limited number of recommendations, all bar one of which could be undertaken by the Executive.

Those actions, such as more regular risk assessment, that could be undertaken by the Executive have been put in place. One item remains; a significant risk identified

by Boardmatch was the current arrangement for election of officers whereby at every AGM every officer (including those whose positions require them to become Directors of the company) must step down and an election be held to replace them. The risk associated with this procedure is that at any AGM there could potentially be a complete turnover of all officers with the consequent loss of organizational knowledge. IF CFT had a large Executive this would not be so bad, though not desirable, but we do not and considerable executive responsibility rests with officers who are volunteers. If all or even most were to leave at one AGM then much of what is known about the organisation could be lost with obvious associated risks.

Currently, the relevant part of the Articles of Association dealing with this issue is the Officers section and in particular 11 (b) and (d) (the full Memorandum and Articles and accompanying Rules are in the Member section on the CFT website).

11. (b) No person shall be eligible for election to the office of President unless they have been a member of the Executive Committee for a year or more during the five years preceding their election as President.

11. (d) No Officer of the Company may serve for a period in excess of 5 years consecutively, and no Officer may serve in any one position for a period in excess of 3 years. Any Officer having served for 5 years shall not be eligible to become a member of the Executive for a further period of 2 years.

To address this governance issue a group of three former Presidents of CFT was asked to prepare a set of recommendations that would ensure continuity and that could be brought in the form of a change in the election procedure to an AGM. The group reported before Christmas 2012 and the intention to bring a change to the 2014 AGM was signalled in my address to the AGM in March of this year. The group made 14 recommendations with three being directly relevant to the question of continuity as follows: 1. Raise tenure of all EC positions from 3 years to 4 years in any one position 2. Raise total continuous tenure on EC from 5 years to 6 years in any combination of positions 3. When tenure of 6 years reached, retain 2 years off EC before eligible for reelection Each officer, in a sequence the group provided, would be required to stand for re-election after 2 years and, if elected, could serve a maximum of two further years in that position before having to step down from the position; i.e. a maximum of four years in any one position with another two in another position on the Executive.

At the 2013 AGM I committed to consulting with members on this question.

Accordingly the Executive is seeking feedback on the general proposal before developing a detailed rule change proposal in advance of the next AGM. The Executive will publish the proposed changes in the run up to the AGM while also circulating the proposals as part of the AGM notification as required under our own Memorandum and Articles/Rules.

Please feel free to contact any member of the Executive if you have a view on these proposals.

Richard Thorn President CFT/Irish Underwater Council

SubSea Summer 2013 49

Mart & Exchange

Mart & Exchange carries small ads for commercial services at a rate of E50.00 for up to 50 words, cash with order. Ads from diver to diver for non commercial services are free.

Send advertisements by fax, E-mail or post to CFT Head Office for inclusion in the next issue. If gear is stolen please advertise to assist recovery and alert the trade.

This appeared in 1991.

Does it sound familiar?

Could it be written about any of your members ?

North Irish Lodge/North Irish Diver Re-Opens ‘NEW 5* Accommodation’ Islandmagee - Antrim Coast Luxury Dive Package breaks for 4 Divers 4 Dives + 2 Nights 5 * Accommodation from £199 PPS 4 Dives + Hostel Accommodation £175 PPS Tel from: ROI 048 9338 2246 Website www.northirishlodge.com Email caroline.steele@btconnect.com

West Cork Summer Special Offshore Safari Adventures Offshore dive trips for the experienced divers on Wave Chieftain, groups of 8 - 12 people, 4 dives, 1 night accommodation From €170 pp weekend trips or €150 pp mid-week info@aquaventures.ie

tel 028-20511 mob 087-7961456

50 SubSea Summer 2013

What Kind Are You? Are you the active members, the kind that would be missed?

Or are you just contented, your name upon the list?

Do you attend the meetings and mingle with the flock?

Or do you mostly stay at home and criticise and knock?

Do you take an active part, to help the work along?

Or are you satisfied to be the kind that just belong?

Do you push the cause along and make things really tick?

Or leave the work to just a few and talk about the 'clique'?

Think this over, members; you know right from wrong.

Are you an active member — or do you just belong?

Anon.

FOR EXTRAORDINARY MISSIONS THE WORLD’S FIRST WATCH-SIZED REBREATHER-COMPATIBLE DIVE COMPUTER

CONQUER NEW TERRITORY WITH SUUNTO DX WINNER * ER * WI N INN

ultimate tool for open circuit and rebreather divers. It’s the very first of its It’s the very first of its kind to feature CCR compatibility. The premium design and materials, k combined with the new superior Suunto Fused™ RGBM, makes it the must

Most Innovative product

have for your dive missions and everyday adventures. Are you ready to conquer new territory?

Follow Suunto Ambassador Jill Heinerth’s extraordinary mission in the Bermuda Deep caves and learn more about the new Suunto DX at www.suunto.com

Follow us on

Awards 2013

WINNER

For more information call 01420 587272 Discover more Moves at www.movescount.com @SuuntoDivingUK and at www.facebook.com/SuuntoDivingUK @SuuntoDivingUK and at www.facebook.com/SuuntoDivingUK

ER * WINNER * INN W *W

equipment. The Suunto DX, built on the award winning Suunto D9tx, is the

WINNER * WIN NE

NER * WINN WIN ER

over 76 years, has once again succeeded in its mission to create pioneering

R* NE

R*

Suunto, the world’s leading dive computer brand with a heritage that spans